HP: Freedom's Path
by marcwill90
Summary: Going into his third year will prove to be unusual, even for Marcus Williams. Tensions will rise, obstacles will take place, and secrets will run rampant. But, for the white-haired wizard, it all boils down to one decision: Will he do what is right or will he do what is easy? And will he stand by it, even if it could mean destroying himself and his future...
1. (01) One Bizarre Event

**Welcome, one and all, to the third installment in this series...**

 **HP: Freedom's Path**

 **Now, I would like to establish a few things before this story can begin. First, this series will be told mainly through the eyes of Marcus Williams (and occasionally other characters), just so that there is no confusion. Secondly, updates will go up according to how much progress I make with the next story. That way, I always have content to give for you all to hopefully enjoy. Lastly, please feel free to leave a review at any time throughout this story and other future stories, as I'm always looking to better myself as a writer. Oh, and before I forget...**

 **Disclaimer: I absolutely, positively, have no ownership of Harry Potter. I do, however, have all ownership of the OC's that are in this series.**

 **Now, here we go, straight into...**

Chapter 1: One Bizarre Event

 **Enjoy!**

In the country of Great Britain, in the countryside of Cambridge, stretching and getting ready for his early morning workout in his parent's backyard was a soon to be 13 year old white-haired boy by the name of Marcus Williams.

There were a few things about Marcus Williams that separated him from the other boys and girls his age. He didn't like to convey his emotions, he was unusually adamant about pushing himself in every aspect, and he was a wizard.

There were not too many people, magic folk or otherwise, who had a childhood quite like his. It was pretty normal, at least up until his fifth birthday. Marcus couldn't recall a lot of it, but what he could recall was that the Dark Prince mercilessly attacked him, as a way of getting back at his parents. The attack was responsible for two things: One, that it left a horrendous looking scar on his torso in the shape of a crown with an X centered in said crown, signafying that the Dark Prince marked him as a future murder victim. Two, that he had to deal with having white hair.

Marcus didn't know why, but after that day, he no longer had the red hair that he enjoyed having, but instead had to go through everyday life having pure white hair, whiter than falling snow. It left him at the mercy of countless bullies and teasing growing up, and it eventually caused him to believe that he was better off not showing any emotion at all. He went through most of his childhood carrying that mindset up until his family moved to the U.K. from the States and started attending Hogwarts.

The first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardy was everything Marcus was told and more. The castle was full of possibilites and wonders, as well as its fair share of secrets.

Himself and his three closest friends, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger, eventually found out that Hogwarts was safeguarding the Sorcerer's Stone, a powerful object capable of turning any metal into gold and creating the Elixer of Life. This same stone was coveted by Voldemort, who wanted to have a body again. Luckily, though, himself and Harry were able to get through all of the enchantments guarding the Stone with assistance from Ron and Hermione and stop Voldemort, who shared the same body as Quirrell in order to get possession of the stone.

But, his first year at Hogwarts paled in comparison to his second year.

Throughout his second year, terror and fear plagued the castle as Muggle-born witches and wizards were getting petrified and no one knew what was going on. And it didn't help any that Harry's ability of speaking Parseltongue inadvertently put him in a tight spot with the majority of the school students. There was a lot of work involved, but Marcus eventually was able to figure out the three things needed to stop the terror: Who was responsible for the attacks, the monster committing the attacks, and where the entrance to the mysterious Chamber of Secrets was located.

The monster he figured out first, for better or worse: It was a Basilisk, capable of killing victims merely by sight, and then the serpent's fast-acting venom if not by sight. He then figured out that Tom Riddle, otherwise known as Voldemort, was possessing Ron's sister, Ginny Weasley, via his fifty year old diary so that he could go through with attacking Muggle-borns. Lastly, he figured out that the entrance was located in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom and that someone needed to speak to it in Parseltongue in order for it to be revealed.

Marcus couldn't help but recall every moment of his time down in the Chamber of Secrets, how absolutely terrifying it initially was to go up against the Basilisk, the things he did to distract the King of Serpents from Harry, and the rush of relief when Harry and himself managed to put an end to it all. He knew a good portion of that event's results was luck, but he also had his rigorous training to attribute to his survival. That, and doing his training in the Room of Requirement.

Marcus was lucky enough to have stumbled upon the Room of Requirement during his first year at Hogwarts, a room that catered to the needs of the person inside it. Since that point, Marcus utilized it to the best of his abilities, the results of which helped him master the Disillusionment Charm and becoming an Animagus.

Marcus, despite being in the middle of his workout, couldn't help but smirk as he recalled the moment he became an Animagus, a witch or wizard capable of shifting into an animal. He had worked for a year and a half studying the vastly different animals, their anatomies, how they moved, how they thought differently from humans. It was by far the most difficult magical challenge he faced, even with the help of the Room of Requirement. The fact that his Animagus form was a barbary lion made it all that much better.

He also found out something very interesting about being an Animagus. Before the end of the second school year, he found that the powers of an Animagus was not trackable under the Trace, a rather annoying spell put on underage magic folk that alerted magical governmental officials if anyone underage was using magic. All he had to do was make sure that no one was around to see him shift and he wouldn't have to worry.

As Marcus finished his workout, walking back into the house and making his way to the shower, Marcus wanted two things to accomplish this summer, apart from getting in better physical shape. One: He wanted to work on making his vision enhancement stronger. He learned one thing from all those times the Basilisk's presence forced his eyes to activate on their own: That what he was currently capable of doing with his vision what not the limit of his capabilities. Two: To refine his Quiddtich Skills and get ready for this year's run at the Quidditch Cup.

If there had to be one thing he didn't like about his second year at Hogwarts, it was the fact that he didn't get to play in as many Quidditch matches as he liked. The first and only match was not the best, and that was factoring in the rogue bludger that was gunning only for Harry, and the rest of the matches were cancelled because of the attacks.

Since coming back home for the summer, he was looking forward to going to the U.S. All-Star's youth Quidditch Camp. But, as he got out of the shower, dried off, got dressed, and went to his desk, he re-read the letter he received from Percival Braxton, Captain of the U.S. All-Stars:

 _Marcus,_

 _Under normal circumstances, this would be the letter inviting you to our Quidditch Camp. However, I'm sorry to say that there won't be a Quidditch Camp this summer. All of our concentration is currently going towards training for the upcoming World Cup tournament, and we hope that you understand. Don't ever hesitate to ask anyone on the team for help or advice, Marcus! We're always eager to help a growing Quidditch player!_

 _Signed,_

 _Percival Braxton, Captain of the U.S. All-Stars Quidditch Team_

Marcus sighed. He more than understood where they were coming from: The World Cup was the biggest thing in the world of Quidditch, and this was the first time in fifty years that the U.S. Team had a legitimate shot at winning it all. So, it made more than enough sense that they would put all their efforts into giving them the best shot at it.

He was definitely looking foward to going to the Weasley's for the rest of the summer and spending time with Ron and, no doubt, Harry. But, this thought was interuppted when Archie came through his bedroom window, carrying a few letters.

"Oh, hey, Archie!" said Marcus. "I see my friends have been keeping you busy. Sorry about that. Here, let's get those letter untied from your leg, then you can rest."

Once he untied the three letters attached to his owl's leg, Archie made his way to his stand in the corner of the room and went to sleep.

"Let's see what his letter contains," said Marcus, as he opened the first envelope and out came a _Daily Prophet_ clipping.

He was confused until he read:

 **MINISTRY OF MAGIC EMPLOYEE  
SCOOPS GRAND PRIZE**

Arthur Weasley, Head of the Misue of Muggle Artifacts Office at the Ministry of Magic, has won the annual _Daily Prophet_ Grand Prize Galleon Draw.  
A delighted Mr. Weasley told the _Daily Prophet,_ "We will be spending the gold on a summer holiday in Egypt, where our eldest son, Bill, works as a curse breaker for Gringotts Wizarding Bank."  
The Weasley family will be spending a month in Egypt, returning for the start of the new school year at Hogwarts, which five of the Weasley children currently attend.

He then opened up the letter:

 _Dear Marcus,_

 _Can you believe it?! Dad won the_ Daily Prophet _draw! It's absolutely wicked. All of us are currently packing, trying to get everything around for the trip. I'm really excited to see what Egypt is like._

 _You'll have to let me know how you're holding up, Marcus. Don't worry, I'll get you something from Egypt, something really good for your birthday. Mum and Dad are planning on coming back a week before term starts, to go up to London and buy my new wand and our new books. If you can, you should come then! Hope to see you at Diagon Alley, Marcus!_

 _Ron_

Marcus had mixed feeling from Ron's letter. On one hand, he was really happy for the Weasleys. If there was anyone who deserved to get a whopping pile of Galleons, it was definitely them. And going to Egypt was not something that came by everyday.

On the other hand, this meant that going to the Weasleys for the summer was no longer an option. It was certainly something he wasn't counting on, and now he would have to shift his plans accordingly.

He then opened up his next letter and recognized the handwriting at once:

 _Dear Marcus,_

 _I hope that you're doing well and that you've already completed your holiday homework._

 _My family decided to go to France for the holidays, and I'm really excited. Getting the chance to learn a different culture is just a great experience to have! And, speaking of which, did you see that Ron's family is going to go to Egypt? I must admit, I feel jealous - the ancient Egyptian wizards were fascinating!_

 _Ron told me that they were going to be in London in the last week of the holidays. Hopefully, you'll be able to come as well as Harry. If you aren't, I'll see you on the Hogwarts Express on September first!_

 _Love from Hermione_

Marcus couldn't believe it. First, Ron was going to Egypt, then Hermione going to France?! He couldn't believe his circumstances, but then remembered about Harry's own circumstances and thanked his stars he wasn't in _that_ situation. Granted, he'd gone to the places Ron and Hermione were going to go to before now, but he also never stayed at home for the entire summer holiday before now, either.

He then opened up the last letter and couldn't help but smirk:

 _Marcus,_

 _How are you doing so far? I imagine that you're keeping yourself busy with workouts and Quidditch training. Don't forget to have some fun too!_

 _I've been following the training and diet plan you gave me right down to the exact details, and my parents keep telling me how much I've improved from when I left for Hogwarts. They wanted to know my secret, but I wasn't about to tell them. I would have to answer too many wierd questions otherwise._

 _Let me know how you're doing, Marcus, and when you're planning to go to Diagon Alley to buy your school supplies. I hope to see you then._

 _Lorelei Flamel_

Marcus remembered the events involving Lorelei Flamel quite well.

He first saw her on the train ride to Hogwarts and was scared out of his wits because she looked exactly like the girl he saw in the Mirror of Erised, an absolutely foul pane of enchanted glass that showed the person standing directly in front of it their strongest desires. He had the satisfaction of shattering the mirror to pieces, but seeing Lorelei made him believe that the Mirror was trying to take revenge on him by haunting him, which was a ridiculous line of reasoning in hindsight. They eventually came to be friends when Lorelei discovered the Room of Requirement with Marcus in it, and from that moment on, not only did she become his friend, but she also became his training partner.

Marcus put all the letters in one of the drawers of his desk and wondered what he was going to do. He already completed all of his summer homework, and he wasn't going to do Quidditch practice until later that day. He then came up with a rather good idea: Go to the nearby forest and spend some time in his Animagus form, as Leo.

He waited for his parents to leave for work, then made his way to the forest.

It was a decent sized forest, only located about two miles away from the house. It was thick enough so that no one could spot anything from any distance, but not thick enough for it be unnavigatable. Once he reached the forest, he checked to make sure no one was withing seeing distance, then shifted into Leo.

While he was in his Animagus form, he was able to use his Negative Vision, a vision that, as his Mom explained it, was the top-tier of vision enhancement available to those that had the power to do so. There was no color with this vision, as everything around him was inverted. However, this didn't take anything away. Rather, he was able to spot every detail he was able to see.

As he started to move around, going by tree after tree, he wondered how he was going to make the most out of being in his Animagus form today. Finally, after ten minutes of going through the forest, he saw his chance.

He saw a pack of wolves, around seven or eight of them, and they were all facing away from his current position, looking as if they were about to strike. He couldn't see what the wolves were concentrating on, but it didn't matter to him: He just wanted to fight the wolves.

He gave off a warning roar, to let them know of his presence, to see if they would get scared. The wolves immediately turned their heads in his direction. He then approached him, to let them who they were going to deal with if they were going to attack.

A few of the wolves were starting to back away, but the wolf centered in the pack barked a few times at them, and they stood their ground. This was the Alpha wolf, the leader of the pack and the toughest, and he was that way for a reason. He wanted to fight this wolf, to see how great of a challenge this wolf would be.

The other wolves made a half-circle around him and the Alpha wolf, and his opponent made the first move by trying to go for the bottom of his neck.

He responded by swiping at the wolf with his right paw, which went across the wolf's face and sent the wolf sprawling in the area behind it. The wolf got up and growled, but was a little more cautious now that he got a taste of his opponent's power.

The wolf tried a different approach by attacking him from the side, but he saw it coming and decided to stop dragging the fight. He pinned the wolf down by his left paw and held down its struggling head with the other paw. After that, he gripped his teeth around the wolf's neck and forced his head upward, snapping the wolf's neck.

He let go and, when the other wolves saw what had happened to their leader, ran off in the complete opposite direction.

Marcus gave off a victory roar before he shifted back to normal.

He looked upon the dead wolf and said, "Well, I guess it wasn't much of a fight. I was able to see his moves before he actually made them." He then turned his head to the left and spat as he continued, "But, I'll definitely have to brush my teeth and wash my mouth out now. The taste of wolf fur is disgusting."

He didn't take two steps in the direction of the house when he heard a voice say, "Oh, thank you so much!"

Caught by surprise, he whipped around, his vision enhanced, and found the last thing he expected to see: A house-elf.

"What the - what's a house-elf like you doing going through these woods?" he asked it.

"Blinky thought cutting through the forest would be the quickest way to the next village, sir," said the house-elf. "But, Blinky didn't notice the wolves until it was too late, sir."

 _"Okay, so the house-elf's name is Blinky,"_ thought Marcus. "And why didn't you use your magic to scare the wolves away?"

"Blinky is not allowed to use magic while Blinky doesn't have a master to serve, sir," said Blinky. "That's why Blinky wanted to go to the next village as soon as possible, to find someone to serve."

"Oh, I see," said Marcus.

"And then -" the house-elf started to say, but then he took a closer look at Marcus and gasped, "You are the great Marcus Williams!" The house-elf ran next to him and shook his right hand and continued, "Blinky's life has been saved by the great Marcus Williams! Oh, sir, Blinky is in your debt!"

Marcus felt a little uneasy as he gently let go of the house-elf's hands and said, "Look, don't worry about it. Just make sure you get through this forest safely and to wherever it is you're going."

He tried to walk away when the house-elf said, "Wait, sir! Blinky has an idea! Why don't Blinky serve you, to pay back the debt Blinky owes to you, sir!"

Marcus looked back at the house-elf and said quickly, "No, no, no, no, no! I don't think that's a good idea! You really should try to find someone else!"

"Please, sir!" the house-elf begged, getting on his knees in front of Marcus. "Blinky owes you his life, sir! The least Blinky can do for you, sir, is to serve you until Blinky can't serve you no more."

Marcus looked down at the elf. His blue-eyes were watering at the edges, his floppy ears were drooping, and he just looked so sad. He felt so sorry for the house-elf and, even though he didn't even notice the house-elf before, he _did_ save his life. Despite his better judgement, he sighed and said, "Fine. Okay, you win. How do we make this...er...official?"

"Blinky only needs your writing hand, sir," said Blinky, who looked much happier than he did a moment ago.

Marcus reluctantly stuck out his left hand and Blinky grabbed it gently with both of his hands and closed his eyes.

Marcus wasn't sure what the house-elf was doing until he saw Blinky being surrounded by a light blue aura, which started to make his way to him. Marcus then saw the light blue arua pass over his arm, proceeding to the rest of his body. Once the light blue aura surrounded his body and the house-elf, the aura sunk into his body and he started to feel weird, like his being was getting tied to the house-elf.

The feeling then went away as Blinky let go of his left hand, opened his eyes, and said, "It is done, Master."

 _"Oh, great,"_ thought Marcus. _"I come into these woods to spend some time in my Animagus form, and now I'll be coming back to the house with my own house-elf. What are the odds?"_

He looked at the house elf and said, "Now, you obviously saw me using my Animagus powers. You cannot tell anyone about the fact that I am an Animagus and, if you feel like you're about to, you need to immediately come up with something different and believable, understand?"

"Yes, Master," said Blinky.

Marcus sighed as he said mostly to himself, "Mom and Dad shouldn't be home until later tonight. Hopefully, they won't notice." He looked at Blinky and said, "Come, Blinky, we're going back to my parent's house."

During his walk back, he didn't know how exactly to go about this situation he was in. He didn't exactly get the best first impression of an ideal house-elf owner, and he wasn't sure what the house-elf's skills were or what kind of ettiquette was practiced when having a house-elf.

Once they got back inside the house, he took Blinky to the living room and said, "All right, Blinky, what is it that you can do?"

"Blinky can do everything that Master needs done," said Blinky. "Blinky's last family made sure that Blinky was able to do everything without making mistakes."

 _"That's pretty vague,"_ thought Marcus. He then said, "Okay, I'll show you around and tell you exactly how things work around here and how I work."

Marcus then spent the next two hours explaining everything the house-elf needed to ensure that he could do the jobs that comes with being a house-elf.

Once he did that, he said, "Now, I want you to dust the beverage bottles in the basement. Make sure that not one of them has a speck of dust, all right?"

"Yes, Master," said Blinky.

He then looked at the pillow case the house-elf was wearing and said, "But, first, make sure to clean what you're wearing."

Blinky bowed before disappearing with a _crack_ , and Marcus said, "Well, now it's time for some self Quidditch practice."

He changed into his workout clothes and got his Nimbus 2001 when he heard a familiar voice saying, "Marcus, we're home!"

 _"What?!"_ Marcus thought, panicking. _"Mom and Dad weren't supposed to be home for another two hours!"_

Marcus bolted out of his room and down the stairs to find his Mom and Dad, hanging up their cloaks near the front door.

"Mom! Dad!" said Marcus. "What are you guys doing home early?"

"Fudge sent us home early as a reward," Michael stated. "He said that we should enjoy the rest of the day to spend time with you since being able to drop British Wizarding crimes 15% from last year."

 _"How generous of Fudge to do that,"_ thought Marcus with irritation.

He didn't take one step towards them when his Dad took a quick look around and said, "Is there someone else here?"

Marcus quickly replied, "Now, what would make you ask such a question like that?"

"Because the air feels different around here," responded his Mom.

"Honestly, guys, there's no one else here," said Marcus, who was starting to get a little nervous. "Geez, the two of you are still in Auror mode. Why don't the two of you just crash on the couch, and I'll make dinner? I'm sure I can whip up some grilled steaks and sauced vegetables."

"All right, Marcus, what are you hiding?" Michael asked.

"I don't know what you're talking about," said Marcus a little too quickly.

"You only mention our favorite dish when you want to divert our attention from the matter at hand," Michael stated. "Now, spill it, or your Mom and I will turn this house upside down."

 _"Crap,"_ thought Marcus, who knew that he had miserably failed to hide his secret from his parents. They only made that particular threat when they wanted to back him into a corner.

Marcus sighed and said in a loud voice, "Blinky!"

Marcus heard a _crack_ next to him and Blinky said, "Yes, Master?"

Marcus looked nervously at his parents and gulped at what he was seeing: His mother's lips grew very thin, looking very much like Professor McGonagall, while his father looked at him with such steely eyes that it made him cower.

"Marcus," said his Mom. "Who's this?"

"Funny you should ask," said Marcus in a nervous tone. "This is - um - Blinky. He's - uh -"

"Blinky is the master's new house-elf serving under him, sir and ma'am," Blinky finished, bowing to them, causing Marcus to facepalm himself.

"Marcus Michael Williams, explain yourself this instant," said Michael, his tone making Marcus shiver in fear.

Marcus quickly explained the event in the nearby forest, replacing what he did in his Animagus form with things he "did" in his normal form.

"So, you went into the woods to battle the wild, and you walk back out with a house-elf," stated his Mom.

"More or less," Marcus squeaked.

His father took a few deep breaths before saying, "Brynn, it's not like this happened a week ago. And, from the sound of things, he probably didn't even notice the house-elf until the wolves retreated. I think we can cut him some slack for once."

Brynn sighed before looking to Blinky said, "So, Blinky, how is your master treating you?"

"Master is treating Blinky with more kindness that Blinky expected, ma'am," said Blinky. "Master is a little unorthodox, but Blinky is learning to adjust."

Marcus then saw his mom looking at him, saying, "If your Dad and I find out that you mistreat Blinky even once, clothes will be given to him straightaway."

"Yes, Mom," said Marcus, who otherwise felt relieved. He didn't get punished, like he thought he would.

"Oh, son," said his father. "I like my steak medium-rare."

"Of course, father," said Marcus, who knew he wasn't going to get out of making their favorite dish. "Blinky, I'll need your assistance in the kitchen."

"Of course, Master," said Blinky, who followed right behind Marcus.

And, as Marcus was cooking dinner, he thought to himself, _"Not even my third year of school, and I already have a weird experience under my belt. What else could possibly happen?"_

 **And here ends the first chapter of HP: Freedom's Path! Like I mentioned before, please feel free to post a review, as any input will be greatly appreciated! Unfortunately, I do have a lot of important things happening right now, so I'm not exactly sure how soon the next update will be. I will do my best to make sure it's not a month or some ridiculous time like that. Thank you for taking the time to read my series and keep your eyes peeled for the next chapter of HP: Freedom's Path!**


	2. (02) Breaking News

**Wow, has it been forever since I last posted! I'm really sorry about that!**

 **Between trying to get back on track with my job and other life obstacles, I haven't had anytime to post. Plus, I haven't been able to make any progress with my next installment. But, don't worry. Even if it should take a long time, I will never abandon what I've started.**

 **Anyway, back to this! I'm proud to say that here is...**

Chapter 2: Breaking News

 **Oh, by the way, I don't own a single thing from HP apart from my OC's, but you knew that already.**

 **Now, on with the story, and enjoy!**

For the next couple of weeks, Marcus had to deal with training a house-elf to work smoothly and effortlessly through his everyday life while undergoing his own training and Quidditch refinement. Needless to say, it was quite stressful.

On multiple occassions, Blinky nearly ruined his clothes, possessions, and almost destroyed his Nimbus 2001, something that nearly made Marcus lose his temper. But, Blinky was a quick study, and he didn't actually destroy or ruin anything, so Marcus didn't hold it against him. Of course, he constantly tried to do everything for his master, which Marcus knew was a common practice amongst house-elfs, but he didn't like it. He always felt more comfortable doing things for himself, but he did manage to compromise by having the house-elf assisting him. Blinky didn't like this, but Marcus knew it was just one of those things that his house-elf had to adjust to.

On the plus side, Marcus found out that he was a fantastic training assistant. Blinky's magic was a perfect fit for his training, and he could feel the improvements within a week of Blinky's help.

Before he knew, he woke up one morning to find Blinky standing right next to his bed, and said, "Master, your parents wish to see you in the living room."

"Thanks, Blinky," said Marcus, who changed into sweatpants and a t-shirt.

He left his room and went downstairs to see his Mom and Dad sitting on the living room couch.

"Mom, Dad," said Marcus. "Blinky said you guys wanted to see me."

"Yes, Marcus, we did," said his father. "Do you have any idea what today is?"

Marcus gave him a confused look as he said, "No, I don't. To be fair, I have been pretty busy lately."

"True, true," said Michael. "Molding a house-elf to your everyday life is no small task. But, I figured you would at least remember what today is."

After seeing the continued look of confusion on Marcus' face, Michael stated, "Today is the ninth of July, son."

Realization hit Marcus like a wrecking ball and he said, "Today's my birthday?! Oh, my goodness, where has the time gone?!"

"We figured you weren't keeping track of the time, son," said Brynn. "But, your friends didn't forget."

As if on cue, Marcus' owl, Archie, came into the living room, carrying a few packages.

"Wow, Archie, you're being pushed hard this summer, aren't you?" said Marcus as he untied the packages. "Sorry about that."

Archie nibbled on his owner's finger affectionally, letting him know that it was okay.

"Blinky," said Marcus and, once his house-elf appeared next to him, said, "Could you take care of Archie for me? He's been through quite a bit, and needs a little R and R."

"Of course, Master," said Blinky, and extended his left arm for Archie, who landed on it and Blinky took him up to Marcus's room.

Marcus sat down on the floor in front of them and opened the first package.

"Oh, this is awesome," said Marcus as he took the present out of the package.

Marcus recognized it as a Pocket Sneakoscope, a product exclusively made in Egypt designed to light up and spin whenever there was an untrustworthy person around. He'd been meaning to get his hands on one, as it would help him obtain a peace of mind, but he couldn't find one, no matter what store he was looking for.

He then opened the letter that came with it:

 _Dear Marcus,_

 _I told you I'd get you an awesome present for your birthday, mate. When I saw this, I immediately thought of you. I tested it last night at dinner and it worked, and Bill didn't like it, saying that it was complete rubbish, but he didn't know that Fred, George, and I tried to stuff Percy in a pyramid. A shame Mum spotted us._

 _Hope you're enjoying the rest of the summer, Marcus!_

 _Ron_

"Nice!" said Marcus, smirking. "Do you have one of these, Dad?"

"Actually, I do," said Michael. "Makes for a nice lie detector when a co-worker is trying to shirk his or her duties."

He then opened the letter for the next package:

 _Dear Marcus,_

 _Happy Birthday! I was window shopping with Mom and Dad and, I saw your present in the window display and knew it would be perfect for you. I also threw in something extra, so I hope that you enjoy them._

 _Love from Hermione_

"Well, let's see what she got me," said Marcus, who unwrapped her gift.

"Now, these, I'm definitely going to use," Marcus said, who held up a wand-maintenance kit and a broom servicing kit.

"Looks like Hermione's a clever girl, isn't she?" said Brynn.

"She's not the top student of my year for nothing," said Marcus. "Now, I wonder what this next present is."

Marcus went to grab the package when the package suddenly ripped itself apart, revealing a very live, very angry book with teeth and slightly revealing eyes.

"What the heck?!" said a very startled Marcus. "That's _The Monster Book of Monsters_! Crap!"

Before the book got very far, Marcus leapt toward it, pinned it down with his right hand while he used his left to stroke the spine. At once, the monstrous book ceased to move, at which time Marcus took the belt he was wearing and strapped the book around it so that it would stay shut at all times.

"That's awfully odd," said Michael, stroking his chin. "I could've sworn _The Monster Book of Monsters_ was on the banned book list. Who could've sent you that as an actual present?"

"It's from Hagrid, no surprise," said Marcus, who felt confused as he read his card. "He didn't go into any details. Something tells me I don't want to know."

Marcus then noticed the last present and asked, "Now, who could this be from?"

He opened up the card to read:

 _Dear Marcus,_

 _Happy Birthday! I thought you'd like to try this. It's a family recipe, and I figured with all the working out that you do, this wouldn't really slow you down._

 _I hope that enjoy your birthday, Marcus._

 _Lorelei Flamel_

Before he realized it, he felt the letter snatched away from his hands.

Brynn glanced over it and said, smirking, "So, Marcus, who's Ms. Flamel?"

"A friend," said Marcus flatly, who opened his present.

Marcus immediately recognized it: It was a pumpkin pie, and the aroma coming from the pie was absolutely enticing.

He wasted no time in grabbing a knife from the kitchen, cutting a slice of pumpkin pie, and taking a bite.

One bite of this pumpkin pie, and it was a party on his taste buds. He tasted the pumpkin pie, but then he tasted a bit of caramel that melted on his mouth along with a tint of spice.

"Mom, Dad, you've got to come and try this," said Marcus, who was making quick work of his slice of pie.

Once Michael and Brynn took a taste, Brynn immediately said, "Wow! This is, without a doubt, the best pumpkin pie I've ever had."

"The pumpkin used in this was well grown," said Michael. "This is a fantastic recipie."

The three of them then proceeded to reminisce about every location in the world they've been to over the past eight years. Brynn kept gushing over their time in France, Marcus trying to hurry up and move on to a different location. It's not that he didn't like France, it's just that his mom wouldn't shut up about it.

It was sometime in the middle of the afternoon when the three of them heard a knock on the front door.

"That's odd," said Michael. "I wasn't expecting any company today."

Marcus went to answer the door and opened it to reveal -

"Uncle Remus!" Marcus said.

"There's the birthday boy!" said Remus, who looked a little worse for wear, but was otherwise looking fine. "Have you been keeping yourself busy?"

"In more ways than one, Remus," said Michael as him and Brynn went to the door. "Remus, old friend, it's been forever! Surely, your job search didn't take you everywhere?"

"It has, Michael, it has," Remus said as he entered the home. "But, I didn't want to miss out on Marcus' birthday! Finally turned 13, Marcus! How does it feel?"

"I'll have to let you know on that one," said Marcus, who couldn't stop smirking.

Marcus was glad that his Uncle Remus was over at the house. He knew that he wasn't actually his uncle, but he was so close to the family that, for all intents and purposes, he was practically an uncle to him.

"So, Uncle Remus, did you find a job yet?" asked Marcus.

"Actually, Marcus, I did," said Remus. "But, we'll get to that later. For now -" he took a package that was previously behind his back and handed it to Marcus "-this is for you."

Marcus took the package and immediately unwrapped it to find -

"This is _The Complete Beastiary of the Wizarding World_!" said Marcus. "Wow, this is so cool!"

"It's also a clue, Marcus," said Remus.

"A clue?" asked Marcus. He saw his Uncle Remus nodding his head and he said, "Um, okay...well, this book is designed to cover the basic facts of the creatures and beasts that dwell in our world, as the title states -" He then got up and started to pace "-but the information on each of the creatures is just enough to understand what they are, which is good teaching material for young minds - NO WAY!"

Marcus looked at his Uncle Remus in shock, having finally realized what his Uncle Remus was alluding to.

"I think I'm missing something here," said Michael.

"Well, this is a first," Remus said, who looked to Marcus and said, "Do you got it, Marcus?"

"You're the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts?!" said Marcus.

Uncle Remus smiled and nodded his head as Marcus said, "This is great! Congratulations, Uncle Remus!"

Marcus then hugged him as Michael said, "You got the post?! Congrats, Remus! You must be excited!"

"Well, more so nervous at the moment," said Remus, who hugged Marcus back. "I just hope I'm up to the task."

"Oh, please!" exclaimed Marcus. "You'll be ten times better than last year's teacher! He just kept going on about what he wrote in his books, and he didn't even do any of it! Trust me, you'll be fantastic!"

"Well, thank you, Marcus," said Remus, who patted his shoulder. "I do have an interesting set of lessons I hope to teach this year."

"Hey, Uncle Remus," said Marcus. "On September 1st, when I board the Hogwarts Express, maybe the two of us can go together? Spend some time together, catch up, all that good stuff."

"That is an excellent idea," said Remus, who seemed delighted at the idea.

They spent a few hours all together in the living room, his Uncle Remus telling all sorts of stories that he had looking for a job over the past year.

Finally, Remus said, "Oh, goodness, it's time for me to leave. There's still a lot of prepping I have to do, but Happy Birthday again, Marcus."

"Thanks, Uncle Remus," said Marcus. "I'll see you September 1st, right?"

"Yes, Marcus, you will," said Remus. "Bye, Michael, Brynn. It was great to see you two again."

"Yes, it was, " said Brynn, who gave Remus a hug.

"Congrats again on getting the post, Remus," said Michael. "You'll be a great Professor."

Remus waved good-bye as he left the house.

Marcus then had Blinky help with cleaning up from their little party before he got around and got ready for bed. Birthdays didn't usually resonate well with him, but this time around, he enjoyed turning one year older.

* * *

The next couple of weeks went pretty well. Blinky was finally getting the hang of things, he felt that he was on the verge of getting that next level of vision enhancement, and he had never felt in better physical condition. It helped when he didn't have to factor in classes, study time, and Quidditch practice ran by an "enthusiatic" captain.

One week before the end of the month, and Harry's birthday, he was outside in the early morning, stretching and getting ready to work on when he saw his dad step outside.

"You're getting ready for you morning workout?" Michael asked him.

"Of course," said Marcus.

"Well, you won't be doing your morning workout today," said Michael. "You're coming with me and your mom to work."

"What?!"

"Oh, yes," said Michael, who had a smile on his face. "I figure that what you need is a good change of pace, something to keep your body guessing."

 _"Oh, this isn't good,"_ thought Marcus.

"We leave in an hour," said Michael. "Oh, by the way, bring a spare set of clothes. You'll need it."

 _"Definitely not good,"_ said Marcus as he went back into the house.

Before he left with his parents, he told Blinky to tidy up the house and to make sure that no one would intrude. Then, he left with his parents.

* * *

As he was walking through the Ministry of Magic with his parents, it was the first time that he was seeing what the British Ministry of Magic was like. It had its pros and cons, but it wasn't too bad. The three of them made their way to the Auror Department, which the main part of the department consisted of a lot of desks, all in an open area. He instantly knew where his Dad's was: Near the window, just above the other desks. He saw his mom's on the left of Dad's desk.

"We'll be in here today, Marcus," said Michael, pointing to a door on the right wall. "You're going to help me with a training exercise."

Marcus gulped as his father opened the door, following close behind him.

He saw a bunch of what Marcus guessed were Aurors-in-training. A good mixture of men and women, all of which were talking to each other.

Marcus took a quick look around to see that he was in a domed area, big enough for field training or to set up obstacle courses.

"All right, everyone, listen up!" his father said and, immediately, every person looked at him. "This morning, we'll be running through field exercises. Specifically, how to subdue Dark Witches and Wizards. Can anyone tell me the importance of this exercise?"

One pink-haired witch raised her hand and said, "Isn't it so that we don't allow them to escape?"

"Exactly right, Tonks," said Michael. "If we allow a Dark witch or wizard to escape, that makes the probablility of someone getting hurt or killed that much greater. Some might retreat immediately, others might stand their ground and fight, and if you want to become Aurors, you have to be ready for both. Now, I have someone here who volunteered to pretend to be a Dark wizard for this exercise."

 _"More like forced here against my will,"_ thought Marcus as he was giving his father the stink eye.

The effect was immediate: Every Auror-in-training whispered frantically to one another, no doubt talking about him, making him grit his teeth in irritation.

"Now, he will be doing both retreating and dodging," said Michael, who gave a nudge to Marcus as a way of telling him to get ready. "And I'll be telling him to do one or the other. Your goal is to subdue them so that he can't go anywhere or do anything, leaving him vulnerable to arrest. Any questions?"

He saw the pink-haired witch from before say, "Well, Mr. Williams, are you sure it's okay to do this? I don't want to see him get hurt for the sake of our training."

Marcus was about to glare in her direction when he heard his Dad scoff and say, "Quite frankly, Tonks, I'd worry more about not being embarrassed by him."

Marcus didn't like this one bit. Every witch and wizard was much more experienced than he was and they were no doubt going to cast verbless magic. The only thing he might have in his favor was the fact that he may be in better physical condition than they were.

"Ready, set, BEGIN!" roared Michael.

Marcus enhanced his vision as he started to frantically dodge the onslaught of spells. There were quite a few Aurors-in-training who were saying their spells out loud, so they were easy to dodge. But, there were a few of them, including the pink-haired witch, that had the ability to cast wordless magic, so they nearly got him multiple times.

"Retreat Mode!" shouted Michael after five minutes of dodging spells.

Marcus then took off, running around the domed area. It was much easier to dodge their spells while running, due to them always hitting behind him.

"This is tricker than I thought!" said a wizard.

"I didn't think we'd run into so much trouble," said a witch in agreement.

"Then, let's work together!" said the pink-haired witch. "He can't dodge our attacks forever."

The Aurors-in-training then stood systematically in different places around the domed area, which impressed Marcus, yet left him wondering just how he was going to keep dodging them.

He jumped over one attack, slid below another, and twirled in the air, making the next spell barley fly right by him.

However, he got hit right square in the stomach by the spell following, causing him to bowl over and, before he could recover, he saw all of their wands pointing directly at him.

"All right, all right," said Michael, and all of the trainees lowered their wand arms. "Excellent strategy, given the situation of the exercise. Now, normally, the primary means of escape will be to Disapparate, so an Anti-Disapparation Jinx will need to be set in place before attempting to capture the target. Well, that concludes this morning's training exercise. Take an hour lunch break and be ready for this afternoon's exercise."

Marcus was entirely grateful that the exercise was over; He was feeling sore all over and needed to take a break himself.

The pink-haired witch came over to him and said, "You sure put us through the reins, Marcus."

"I was about to say the same to all of you," said Marcus.

She held out her right hand as she said, "My name's Tonks, future Auror."

"Pleased to meet you," he said as he shook his head.

"You know, you're kind of a big deal around here," Tonks told him. "The Big Boss and his wife are always talking about you."

"I can't say I'm surprised," Marcus said.

The two of them were walking to the exit when Marcus heard his dad say, "And just where do you think you're going, Tonks?"

Tonks had a guilty look on her face as she turned around to face him and say, "Going on my lunch break?"

" _You_ ," said Michael, "are going to report to obstacle course number two before you take your lunch."

"Aw, the hand-eye coordination course?" whined Tonks. "I thought I'd already passed that."

"You stumbled and tripped through half the course," Michael clarified. "So, you'll take it again and again until you pass."

"I'm telling you, boss, I'm just fi-"

In that moment, she made her way to the door, but tripped over herself and nearly fell on her face, barely managing to regain herself in time.

She looked sheepishly at Michael, who said, "Need I say more, Tonks? Obstacle course number two, immediately."

She didn't argue back this time as she exited the domed room.

"She seemed the best one out of the group of trainees," said Marcus.

"Yes, I agree with you there," said Michael. "If it wasn't for her clumsiness, she would probably already be doing her final bit of training."

He then looked at Marcus with a grin and said, "So, Marcus, did you like the change of pace?"

Marcus gave him the stink eye as he said, "Change of pace? More like a crash course of the extreme kind."

"It wasn't that bad," said Michael as the two of them made their way back to his desk.

"Once you showered up, take a nap on the couch behind my desk," said his Dad. "I imagine you're feeling a bit fatiuged."

"Sounds like a plan," said Marcus, who took a quick shower, changed into his spare clothes, and crashed on the couch behind his father's desk.

* * *

He saw something that he hadn't seen in a long time: The Dark Prince's enclosed room, at the very top of Azkaban. He found the Dark Prince not laying against the wall, but pacing back and forth.

"Well, this is certainly a predicament," said the Dark Prince. "I can't say I'm surprised that the issue with the Chamber of Secrets was resolved, but to have done it so decisively? Clearly, it wasn't a good enough test. What must I do to ensure that -"

He then stopped pacing, suddenly looking down to the floor.

"What's this?" said the Dark Prince. He gave a disbelieving laugh before saying, "Well, I feel honored. I'm witnessing history being made. And something that will no doubt set everyone on edge." He then gave an evil smile as he said, "Yes, of course. That will no doubt happen, they have no choice. Let's see here..."

He then approached a wall and touched with his bare hands. The rocks then started to shift so that there was an opening big enough for a head to fit through.

In two seconds, the Dark Prince said, "Stay your feast, foul creature, lest your existence be wiped from the earth."

He then smirked as he said, "I have a very specific set of tasks I wish for you to accomplish, and there must be no deviating from it, not even once. Here's what you will do..."

The Dark Prince then whispered something. What that something was could not be heard.

After a couple of minutes, he said, "Once you have accomplished those tasks, when the right opportunity comes, feel free to feast all you want."

The Dark Prince then closed the wall and said, "This will be an interesting year, to say the least. I congratulate you for making history and obtaining your freedom from Azkaban...Sirius Black..."

He then started to laugh, the sounds echoing around the Dark Prince's room as everything faded into darkness...

* * *

Marcus bolted upright, his breathing erratic, like he just got done running across the countryside.

His father turned around and said, "Marcus, what's the matter? Are you feeling all right? Perhaps having you being the Dark Wizard dummy wasn't the best idea."

Marcus, his eyes wide, turned to his father and said, "Dad...who's Sirius Black?"

Immediately, he knew he said something very sensitive: Every Auror in the office looked immediately in his direction, almost fearful.

Michael's tone changed entirely as he said in a scary tone, "What makes you ask that question, Marcus?"

"The Dark Prince," said Marcus. "He said...he said he congratulated Sirius Black...for freeing himself from Azkaban."

Michael instantly stood up and roared, "SHACKLEBOLT!"

In two second, Marcus saw a black man approaching his father's desk, saying, "Yes, Mr. Williams?"

"Go to Azkaban, check on Sirius Black's cell," said Michael through gritted teeth. "I need to know if what my son has said is true. I authorize you to Apparate there and back. Now, GO!"

The man named Shacklebolt disappeared on the spot. Marcus saw that his father wasn't looking at him. In fact, none of the Aurors in the office were.

One minute later, Shacklebolt re-appeared, saying, "Mr. Williams, your son speaks the truth! Sirius Black has escaped from Azkaban!"

"ALERT THE REST OF THE MINISTRY AT ONCE!" roared Michael throughout the office. "Shacklebolt, go to our International Committee immediately and debrief them about the situation! Wells, get ahold of the _Daily Prophet_ and tell them to send out a breaking news article about Black's escape! Tonks, stay with Marcus! Brynn, you're coming with me!"

For the next hour, it was absolute bedlam. Aurors were popping in and out of the office, and he could hear the roar of chaos and discord from beyond the office. Everyone was freaking out and Marcus had absolutely no idea what was going on.

"Tonks, what's the big deal?" asked Marcus.

"Sirius Black is an infamous wizard who managed to kill thirteen people with a single curse," said Tonks, who looked as freaked out as everyone else was. "Not much else is known about his involvement in the event."

Marcus felt that Tonks wasn't being entirely truthful, but he wasn't about to push her for information.

After an hour and a half, he saw his parents return with Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic, following right behind them.

Marcus stood up from the couch as the three of them approached him and Michael said, "Marcus, you remember Mr. Fudge, don't you?"

"Yes, dad," said Marcus.

"Is it true, Marcus?" said Fudge. "You heard this...terrifying news...in a dream?"

"It wasn't exactly a dream," said Marcus, starting to feel very uncomfortable. "It was a Dark Prince nightmare."

"A Dark Prince nightmare?" asked Fudge, who was looking at Michael.

"On occassion, Marcus sees the Dark Prince in his isolated room of Azkaban through his dreams," explained Michael. "The Dark Prince was the first to know of it, somehow, and Marcus saw it firsthand, so to speak."

"Well, this is certainly a fine mess we find ourselves into," Fudge said out loud. "How come the Dementors didn't pick up on Black's movements?"

"Shacklebolt asked one of the Dementors, sir," said Brynn. "They didn't even know he was gone until a minute or two after he escaped from his cell."

"Well, thank you, Marcus, for your helpful contribution," Fudge said to Marcus. "You've been more help than you realize. Now, if you excuse me, I'll have to go and see the Prime Minister. We're going to need all the help we can get..."

Michael waited until Fudge left the office, then turned to Tonks and said, "Tonks, get the other Auror trainees and gather them in this office. I want to talk to them in forty five minutes."

"Yes, sir," said Tonks and immediately hurried off.

"Marcus," said Brynn. "There are some important things your father and I have to talk to you about..and tell you."

"Um, okay," said Marcus, who was still confused as ever as he followed them to an isolated room.

 **And here ends Chapter 2 of HP: Freedom's Path! As before, please feel free to leave a review, as it will serve to better my writing. Also, if you have any questions, feel free to leave me a PM and I promise that I will, to the best of my abilities, answer them. Until then, keep your eyes peeled for the next chapter of HP: Freedom's Path!**


	3. (03) A Surprise Guest

**Welcome, one and all, to another chapter of HP: Freedom's Path! In case you find yourself a little lost when reading this story, I suggest skimming through the previous stories, just to get an idea of the events that set up this story. Other than that, I only have this to say.**

 **I, Marcwill90, have no ownership of the Harry Potter series except for the OC's that exist purely in this fanfiction series.**

 **Now, here's...**

Chapter 3: A Surprise Guest

 **Enjoy, one and all!**

Since his visit at the Ministry of Magic, Marcus felt really bad about himself. He basically was the reason that the entire country was going into a panic over a madman who killed a bunch of people, or so the story is told. He happened to take a look at the files when everyone else was running around. There wasn't anything that made Sirius Black innocent...but there wasn't anything that made him guilty, either. Regardless, he had a feeling that his upcoming year at Hogwarts going to be just as abornmal as the two years before it.

Marcus made sure to send Harry his birthday present, a book going into the history of Quidditch. Marcus knew for sure he would like that one. Harry loved Quidditch just as much as he did and he was one of the best Seekers Marcus knew. It seemed to come to Harry pretty naturally, as much as being a Chaster came naturally to Marcus.

On the morning of July 31st, Marcus had Blinky go to Hogwarts and talk to Dumbledore, to see if he could work there while Marcus was at Hogwarts. He was hoping that his house-elf would be accepted, as it would be very conveinent for him. He then saw Archie coming towards him, with a letter sealed by a Hogwarts emblem.

"And this would be the list of supplies," said Marcus as he untied the letter from his owl, opened the envelope, and read:

 _Dear Mr. Williams,_

 _Please note that the new school year will begin on September the first. The Hogwarts Express will leave from King's Cross station, platform nine and three-quarters, at eleven o'clock.  
Third years are permitted to visit the village of Hogsmeade on certain weekends. Please give the enclosed permission form to your parent or guardian to sign.  
A list of books for next year is enclosed._

 _Your sincerely,  
Professor M. McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress_

"Oh, this is awesome!" Marcus exclaimed as he got out the Hogsmeade permission form from the envelope. Marcus had heard about the village from students in the higher years, but he hardly paid it any mind, as it didn't apply to him. He knew the village was entirely consisted of magic folk and the like, and he even heard that they had an equipment shop there, which he hoped was true, as he was looking for new materials to replace his battle uniform; His skirmish with the Basilisk left his last set unrepairable, much to his chagrin.

He waited all day for his parents to come back from work, and it wasn't until about nine at night did they arrive.

"What a wreck!" said Brynn as her and Michael walked through the front door. "Black's breakout is causing as much commotion as we feared it would!"

"I'm really sorry," said Marcus. "I guess I shouldn't have said anything."

"That's not true," said Michael. "If you hadn't said anything, then who knows what Black would've been able to do before anyone figured out that he escaped. Marcus, no matter what, you did the right thing. Don't ever think you have to withold information from us."

"Well, since you say that," said Marcus. "My Hogwarts letter came today, giving me a list of books and such. But, it also came with this."

He then held out the permission form as he said, "All third year students get to go to Hogsmeade on certain weekends as long as a parent or guardian signs the form. So, will one of you sign it, please?"

He saw his father and mother look at each other for two seconds before looking back at him, saying at the same time, "No."

"What?!" asked Marcus, flabbergasted. "Why not?!"

"It's going to be too dangerous," said Michael.

"Surely, Sirius Black's not that big of a threat," said Marcus. "He's wandless and has probably suffered muscle atrophy during his time in Azkaban."

"We're not referring to Black," said Brynn. "We're talking about the Dementors."

"What about them?" asked Marcus.

"I had to convince Dumbledore into having Dementors stationed around Hogwarts, as well as Hogsmeade, on behalf of Fudge," Michael explained. "Quite frankly, I don't trust Dementors one bit, and for good reason."

"It can't be any worse than having a giant, fanged serpent formerly dwelling in the bowels of Hogwarts," Marcus stated.

"Yes, it is," said Brynn. "Dementors only care about feeding off the positive memories of humans. They care not where they get it from. They only stick around Azkaban because it's a very convenient food supply. Think about it, Marcus. If a Dementor kept feeding on your positive memories, the only ones you'll be able to remember in the end are your worst ones, and all of us know what that would be."

Marcus suddenly felt a great chill down his spine. He didn't have too many to begin with, and he wasn't too keen on losing what he had.

"So, having you be in a position for a Dementor to attack you is not something your mother or I will risk," said Michael.

"But, what if one of you were to chaperone me?" said Marcus, starting to get desperate. "I would tell you the dates, and you could spend some time with me and keep me safe. I mean, that would leave you guys with a peace of mind, would it not?"

"That's not possible," said Michael. "Your mother and I are set to be out of country the same month you go back to Hogwarts, training the Aurors from the different Ministries of Magic to handle the threat. We won't be in any position to come and watch over you."

"I'm sorry, son," said Brynn, who looked heartbroken, "But, the only way you'll be safe is if you don't deviate from the castle."

"I - I understand," said Marcus, who ended up running up the stairs to hide his face from his parents.

He closed the door hard and threw the permission slip on the desk before slamming on his bed. He hadn't even left for Hogwarts and, already, he felt restricted. Being confined in the castle while everyone else gets to go to Hogsmeade was something that Marcus knew was going to irritate him to no end.

Just then, Marcus heard a _crack_ next to his bed and heard, "Blinky has returned from Hogwarts, Master."

Marcus looked at his house-elf and said, "So, what did Dumbledore say?"

"He agreed to have Blinky work at the castle with the other house-elves while Master is at Hogwarts," said Blinky. "Dumbledore also wished me to tell you that he wishes to speak with you after the Welcoming Feast, Master."

"I wonder what it'll be about this time," said Marcus, who looked straight at his bedroom ceiling.

"Is Master feeling okay?" Blinky asked him.

"What makes you ask that, Blinky?" Marcus asked.

"Because Master's eyes are watering," stated his house-elf.

Marcus looked at him for a second before wiping his eyes and saying, "I'm fine, Blinky...or, at least, I will be. Thank you for your concern."

"Blinky is always here for you, Master," said Blinky.

Marcus then stared out his bedroom window, wondering what else could possibly happen.

* * *

Michael was frantically getting things done around the office so that it would be able to function properly when Brynn and him left to train the other Aurors around Europe. He was in the middle of arranging training schedules when he saw Fudge walking in, looking frantic.

"Michael, I need your help!" said Fudge, looking quite out of breath.

"Yes, Fudge, what is it?" asked Michael, who was already short of patience.

"We have a situation that needs your immediate attention," stated Fudge.

"Look, Fudge, today's the seventh of August," said Michael, his impatience getting more and more evident. "I only have twenty four days to prepare my department to function as normal as possible and, combining that with trying to hunt down Sirius Black, makes my priority list very long and not much room for anything else."

"Then, I'll get to the point," said Fudge. "There was a report that Muggles saw a blown-up woman floating in the air."

"That sounds like something for the Accidental Magic Reversal Department to take care, Fudge," said Michael through gritted teeth.

"The address was Number Four Privet Drive, Surrey," stated Fudge.

Michael's impatience with Fudge ceased immediately. Knowing exactly what Fudge was alluding to, he immediately asked, "Where's Harry?"

"That's the thing, Michael," said Fudge. "Harry Potter's ran from his relative's house, and he could be anywhere right now, and we know who Sirius Black is trying to find, after all."

"Oh, please," said Michael. "There's only one place an underage, confused wizard like Harry will go."

"Where, Michael?!" asked Fudge. "Tell me, please!"

"It's better if I show you, Fudge," said Michael, who looked to Shacklebolt and said, "I want the training schedules drawn up and ready for review by the time I return, Shacklebolt."

"It will be done, sir," said Shacklebolt.

"All right, Fudge, let's go," said Michael, who started to walk fast, leaving Fudge to practically run after him.

* * *

As him and Fudge were standing outside the Leaky Cauldron in Diagon Alley, Fudge looked to Michael and asked, "Really, Michael, are you sure about this?"

"You doubt me, Fudge?" asked an irritated Michael.

"No, no," Fudge quickly replied. "Just checking is all."

Michael was surveying the street in front of them, watching out for anything. A minute later, Michael saw something coming from the right of them.

"There we are," said Michael, pointing at the incoming vehicle. "You see?"

"The Knight Bus, of course," said Fudge, spotting the violently purple triple-decker bus and looking thouroughly relieved.

As soon as the two of them saw Harry coming off of the bus, Fudge said out loud, " _There_ you are, Harry."

Fudge put a hand on one of Harry's shoulders while the conducter of the Knight Bus, Stan Shunpike, shouted, "Blimey! Ern, come 'ere! Come _'ere_!"

Michael saw Harry looking at Fudge and knew that Harry was not happy to see him.

Michael walked up to Fudge just as Stan leapt onto the pavement beside them and said excitedly, "What didja call Neville, Minister?"

"Stan," said Michael. "This is Harry Potter."

"I knew it!" Stan shouted gleefully. "Ern! Ern! Guess 'oo Neville is, Ern! E's 'Arry Potter! I can see 'is scar!"

"Yes," said Fudge testily, "well, I'm very glad the Knight Bus picked Harry up, but the three of us need to step inside the Leaky Cauldron now..."

Michael knew why Fudge was getting irritable: He didn't like being outside the comforts of the Ministry, much less having to wait out in less than favorable weather.

Michael noticed the iron-like grip Fudge was bearing Harry down with and couldn't help but sigh as the three of them entered the pub. As they entered, Michael saw Tom, a wizened, toothless landlord.

"You've got him, gentlemen!" said Tom. "Will you two be wanting anything? Beer? Brandy?"

"Perhaps a pot of tea," said Fudge.

"Nothing for me, Tom," said Michael, waving the offer away. "I won't be here long enough for refreshments anyway."

As Stan and Ern appeared, bringing Harry's belongings to him, Stan looked around excitedly before saying, "'Ow come you di'n't tell us 'oo you are, eh, Neville?"

"And a _private_ parlor, please, Tom," Michael heard Fudge say pointedly.

"Bye," he heard Harry say in a miserable tone, almost as if he was going to prison.

Michael followed closely behind Fudge and Harry as they made their way down a narrow passage, following Tom's lantern, into a small parlor. Tom clicked his fingers, a fire burst into life in the grate, and he bowed himself out of the room.

"Sit down, Harry," said Fudge, indicating a chair by the fire.

As Harry sat down, Michael noticed that the boy was tense, unsure of what was going on.

"I am Cornelius Fudge, Harry. The Minister of Magic, " Fudge announced. "This is Michael Williams. He's the head Auror at the Ministry of Magic."

"He knows who I am, Fudge," said Michael. "We've met before."

"Oh, right, of course," said Fudge.

Tom reappeared, wearing an apron over his nightshirt and bearing a tray of tea and crumpets. He placed the tray on a table between Fudge and Harry and left the parlor, closing the door behind him.

Michael situated himself standing against the wall behind Fudge as his boss poured out tea, saying, "Well, Harry, you've had us all in a right flap, I don't mind telling you. Running away from your aunt and uncle's house like that! I'd started to think...but you're safe, and that's what matters."

 _"You were in a right flap, Fudge, not I,"_ thought Michael.

Fudge buttered himself a crumpet and pushed the plate toward Harry before continuing, "Eat, Harry, you look dead on your feet. Now then...You will be pleased to hear that we have dealt with the unfortunate blowing-up of Miss Marjorie Dursley. Two members of the Accidental Magic Reversal Department were dispatched to Privet drive a few hours ago. Miss Dursley has been punctured and her memory has been modified. She has no recollection of the incident at all. So that's that, and no harm done."

Michael saw that Harry was about to speak, but apparently didn't know what to say, due to having his mouth closed again.

"Ah, you're worrying about the reaction of your aunt and uncle?" said Fudge. "Well, I won't deny that they are extremely angry, Harry, but they are prepared to take you back next summer as long as you stay at Hogwarts for the Christmas and Easter holidays."

Michael kept himself silent, waiting to see where this conversation was going.

"I _always_ stay at Hogwarts for the Christmas and Easter holidays," Harry told Fudge, finally finding his voice again, "and I don't ever want to go back to Privet Drive."

"Now, now, I'm sure you'll feel differently once you've calmed down," said Fudge, who clearly was worried. "They are your family, after all, and I'm sure you are fond of each other - er - _very_ deep down."

 _"I don't think anyone's feelings can go that deep for those Muggles,"_ Michael thought.

"So all that remains," said Fudge, helping himself to a second crumpet, "is to decide where you're going to spend the last remaining part of your vacation."

"Actually, Fudge," said Michael, finally finding a place to talk, "If Harry has no objections, he'll be staying at my home. I'm sure you won't object, will you, Harry?"

Harry shook his head adamantly as Fudge said, "Yes, that would be the best course of action. We might have to set up some protection spells, as a -"

"Hang on," blurted Harry. "What about my punishment?"

Michael was wondering when this particular bit would come to rear its ugly head. He saw Fudge blinking in disbelief before repeating, "Punishment?"

"I broke the law!" Harry said. "The Decree for the Restriction of Underage Wizardry!"

"Oh, my dear boy, we're not going to punish you for a little thing like that!" cried Fudge, waving his crumpet impatiently. "It was an accident! We don't send people to Azkaban just for blowing up their aunts!"

"Last year, I got an official warning just because a house-elf smashed a pudding in my uncle's house!" Harry exclaimed, frowning. "The Minsitry of Magic said I'd be expelled from Hogwarts if there was any more magic there!"

Fudge immediately looked to Michael, who turned to Harry and said, "Under normal circumstances, Harry, you'd be right. However, given the current state of affairs, our priority is to ensure you're safe. Besides, you didn't have any control over your actions, so you're not _actually_ punishable under Wizarding Law."

"And besides," Fudge said to Harry," you don't actually _want_ to be expelled, do you?"

"Of course I don't," said Harry.

"Well then, what's all the fuss about?" laughed Fudge. "Now, help yourself to a crumpet, Harry, while I have Tom retrieve you belongings."

Once Fudge left the room, Michael heard Harry say, "Mr. Williams, how exactly did you - I mean, how were able to guess -"

"That you were going to come to Diagon Alley?" asked Michael as he looked at Harry. He nodded and Michael said, "Well, it was really quite simple. After you accidently blew up your aunt, you were angry and scared. You left the house, but after a bit, it dawned on you that you didn't know where to go. Somehow, you managed to get on the Knight Bus and when Stan Shunpike asked where you were going, you answered the first location that came to mind, still being scared, I might add."

"Was it that obvious, sir?" asked Harry.

"You used a different alias in order to divert people's attention from you," said Michael. "Only people who have something to hide or think that they're in trouble do that. So, yes, it was."

At that moment, Fudge came back into the parlor with Tom, carrying Harry's belongings, and said, "Here we are, Harry. I assume you've got it from here, Williams?"

"Yes, Fudge," said Michael.

"In that case, I'll be returning to the Ministry," said Fudge, who stepped out of the parlor.

"Right," said Michael. "Follow me, Harry."

Michael grabbed Harry's suitcase while Harry grabbed Hedwig's cage and the two of them exited the Leaky Cauldron.

Once outside, Michael said, mostly to himself, "Well, there's no way I'll be able to flag down the Knight Bus. It's probably half-way across the country right about now. And, I've got to make sure Harry is safe. I guess there's nothing else to do." He then looked to Harry and said, "Are you familiar with Apparation, Harry?"

"No, sir," said Harry.

"Well, it's the ability to instantly move from one location to another," said Michael. "It kind of works like teleporting, but it's not the most comfortable means of traveling. You'll have to grab on my sleeve and try to breathe normally."

Harry grabbed onto his right sleeve and the two of them Apparated to the area just outside his house.

"Are you all right, Harry?" asked Michael.

He looked to Harry, who looked like he got the wind knocked out of him, but said, "I'm all right, sir. This place is yours?"

"Oh, yes," said Michael. "This will be where you're staying until the last day of vacation. I'll explain everything inside. I'm sure my son will be glad to have you over, Harry."

The two of them then made their way towards the front door.

* * *

Marcus spent the majority of the day training and working on further enhancing his vision, the latter of which was quite hard to do. He was still working on it when he heard a knock on the front door.

He went to open it and saw his Dad standing there.

"Hey, Dad," said Marcus. "Back from work already?"

"Yes, and for good reason," said Michael. "We'll be having a guest stay over until school starts."

"Oh?" said Marcus, unsure of what his father was talking about.

He stepped inside the house and Marcus saw behind him -

"Harry!" said Marcus. "Holy crap! What are you doing here?"

"There'll be time for that story later, boys," said Michael. "I need the both of you to sit on the living room couch."

The two boys sat on the couch, and Michael said, "Now, Cornelius Fudge doesn't want me telling you two anything in regards to Sirius Black, but I feel that the two of you should know exactly what's going on. Of course, the two of you know that Sirius Black broke out of Azkaban and that he's currently on the loose. However, I believe he's searching for something...or someone."

"What?" asked Marcus.

"Well, the only thing I can say with confidence is that he's coming after you two, Harry and Marcus."

"Why me?" asked Harry. "What would Sirius Black want with me?"

"That remains to be seen, Harry," said Michael. "There's not enough information to make a solid statement, but they are people who believe he was in league with Voldemort shortly before that night, when Voldemort lost all his powers."

"Okay, so that _might_ explain Harry's case," said Marcus. "But, what about me?"

"You are another threat to him, Marcus," explained Michael. "You were able to stop the Dark Prince, his best lieutenant. It'll be advantageous for the practicioners of Dark Magic to have the both of you out of the way. But, that's all the two of you need to know in regards to that."

He then walked over to the fireplace and said, "Marcus, the Floo Powder's on top of the fireplace. If you and Harry don't want to spend time in the house, then you two will be at Diagon Alley. Don't go outside the house if you're here and don't wander outside Diagon Alley if you're there. Understood?"

The two boys nodded their head and Michael said, "I have to return to the Ministry, unfortunately. Your mother and I will be home tomorrow night, Marcus."

Marcus saw his father look at Harry and said, "I'm sorry if I'm coming across as rude or unsensitive, but there's a lot of things happening right now. Feel free to ask me or Mrs. Williams anything, Harry."

"Actually, sir, I was wondering something," said Harry, who got out a familiar piece of parchment. "Could you sign this Hogsmeade permission form, sir?"

Michael gave Harry a troubling look and said, "I can't, Harry. Only a parent or guardian may sign the permission slip."

"But, you're the Head Auror of the Ministry of Magic!" Harry exclaimed. "Surely, with your authority, I could -"

"My authority doesn't extend that far, Harry," said Michael, who still had a troubling look on his face.

"If it makes you feel any better, Harry, I'm not able to get my permission form signed, either," said Marcus.

"I'll see you boys later," said Michael as he left the house.

"So, Harry, what exactly happened to you?" asked Marcus.

Harry then explained to Marcus how he accidently blew up his aunt, left their residence, managed to hail the Knight Bus, and make his way to Diagon Alley before being found by his father and Fudge.

"Wow, you've had quite the night," said Marcus. "Although, I think I would've blown up that lady on _purpose_. It's the least those particular Muggles deserve. Oh, by the way, do you prefer to have a guest bedroom or sleep in my room?"

"Sleep in your room," said Harry immediately. Marcus could tell that Harry was eager to see his room.

"All right," said Marcus, smirking. "But, first things first. Blinky, I need your assistance."

Marcus heard a _crack_ , followed by Blinky saying, "Yes, Master?"

"Blinky, this is Harry Potter. He's one of my closest friends," said Marcus.

"It is an honor to meet someone of your stature, Harry Potter," said Blinky as he bowed.

"It's nice to meet you, Blinky," said Harry, who then looked at Marcus and asked, "Wait, you have your own house-elf?!"

"I'll explain here in a little bit," Marcus told him. He then looked to Blinky and said, "I need you to take Harry's belongings up to my room and set up a bed for him to sleep on. Oh, and a resting stand. I imagine Hedwig's already here. She doesn't miss a trick, that's for sure."

"Consider it done, Master," said Blinky, who disappeared with a _crack_.

Marcus then told Harry, "I went out in the nearby forest for some training. Some wolves came along and I managed to scare them off, inadvertenly saving Blinky's life and he convinced me to become his master."

"Wicked," said Harry.

"Oh, and please don't tell Ron or Hermione," said Marcus. "At least, not yet. I don't think they'd handle the news as well as you have. All right, I'll show you where my room is and then the rest of the house in the morning."

So, the two of them went up to Marcus' room, where Harry saw the U.S. All-Star Quidditch Team memorbillia on one wall, and the various notes placed upon the other walls.

"It's not too much," said Marcus.

Harry only smiled as the two of them went to bed.

* * *

Over the rest of the vacation, outside of Marcus' workouts, the two of them spent a lot of time going to Diagon Alley via Floo Network, Marcus making sure that he was the one getting them there. Marcus could tell that Harry was enjoying his newfound freedom. Marcus helped Harry finish up his homework along with Florean Fortescue, who owned Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor and happened to know quite a bit about medieval witch burning.

Marcus and Harry decided early on to go ahead and buy their school supplies early, so after they took out their desired amount of money, they went around Diagon Alley, visiting one shop after another, getting what they needed. However, the two of them were sorely tempted by a good amount of merchandises. Some of the items in question were a handsome set of Gobstones, a perfectly scaled moving model of the galaxy in a large glass ball (something Marcus had to greatly resist getting), and new, optimal fabrics that would've been perfect for his battle suit. However, the thing that tested both Harry and Marcus the most was the latest, hottest item in Quality Quidditch Supplies that arrived one week after Harry staying at Marcus' house.

Being curious at what all the commotion was about, Harry and Marcus edged their way inside, squeezing through the excited witches and wizards until they glimpsed a newly erected podium, on which was mounted the most magnificent broom Marcus had ever laid his eyes on.

"Just come out - prototype -" a square-jawed wizard was telling his companion.

"It's the fastest broom in the world, isn't it, Dad?" squeaked a boy younger than Marcus, who was swinging off his father's arm.

"Irish International Side's just put in an order for seven of these beauties!" the proprietor of the shop told the crowd. "And they're favorites for the World Cup!"

"In your dreams," muttered Marcus. "They'll have to get by the U.S. All-Stars first."

However, at that moment, the large witch that was standing in front of Harry and Marcus moved, and the two of them looked at the sign next to the broom, which read:

 _ **The Firebolt**_

THIS STATE-OF-THE-ART RACING BROOM SPORTS A STREAMLINED, SUPERFINE HANDLE OF ASH, TREATED WITH A DIAMOND-HARD-POLISH AND HAND-NUMBERED WITH ITS OWN REGISTRATION NUMBER. EACH INDIVIDUALLY SELECTED BIRCH TWIG IN THE BROOMTAIL HAS BEEN HONED TO AERODYNAMIC PERFECTION, GIVING THE FIREBOLT UNSURPASSABLE BALANCE AND PINPOINT PRECISION. THE FIREBOLT HAS AN ACCELERATION OF 150 MILES AN HOUR IN TEN SECONDS AND INCORPORATES AN UNBREAKABLE BRAKING CHARM. PRICE ON REQUEST.

Marcus looked at Harry, and he knew that the only reason why he wasn't jumping at the chance to buy a Firebolt was because of the "Price On Request" bit.

Marcus, however, wasn't about to let that stop him. He definitely gave in with this temptation.

He looked to Harry and said, "Stay by the Firebolt display, I'm going to talk to the proprieter."

"Are you mad?!" asked Harry. "It's likely to be super expensive!"

"I just won the last seven bets with Mr. Booker's business over this summer, winning 2,000 Galleons in the process," stated Marcus. "I think I'll suffer the consequences."

Marcus made his way to the proprieter and say, "Merlin's Beard, it's Marcus Williams!"

"That's me," deadpanned Marcus. "Listen, the sign explaining the Firebolt said price on request. How much for a Firebolt?"

The proprieter laughed and said, "Well, Mr. Williams, I don't think an underage wizard like yourself has the necessary amount to buy one. But, nice try."

"Let's try this again," said Marcus, his temper starting to rise. "How many Galleons will I be emptying out of my vault to acquire a Firebolt of my own?"

"Confident, aren't we?" said the proprietor. "Very well, Mr. Williams, I'll humor you. The purchasing price of the Firebolt is 2,500 Galleons."

 _"That's a bit more than I expected,"_ thought Marcus, who knew that was going to put a dent in his count. _"But, if you want the best, sacrifices have to be made."_

"Very well," said Marcus. "I'll buy one."

All manner of conversation died immediately upon Marcus' last statement. Marcus could see the shocked looks on everyone's faces, hardly believing that someone so young was announcing his intentions of buying a Firebolt.

"You'll have to prove you have the necessary Galleons to me, Mr. Williams, before I allow the purchase."

"Then send a goblin from Gringotts over here immediately," said Marcus. "They'll vouch for me."

Apparently, someone in the shop already took the liberty to get a goblin from Gringotts, because in two minutes, Marcus could see a familiar goblin making his way to him.

"Is that you, Griphook?" asked Marcus.

"It is, Mr. Marcus Williams," said Griphook. "I was told that some financial verification was needed."

"Yes," said Marcus, who knew that all eyes were on him. "Please tell the proprietor of Quality Quidditch Supplies how many Galleons are currently in my vault."

Griphook turned to the proprietor and said, "Mr. Marcus Williams' Gringotts Vault currently contains 5,500 Galleons. Is there anything else I can assist with today?"

"Yes," said Marcus. "I wish for 2,500 Galleons to be withdrawn from my vault for my purchase of the Firebolt from Quality Quidditch Supplies."

"Yes, sir," said Griphook, who walked out of the store.

Marcus looked back at the proprietor, who was momentarily shocked before he regained himself and said, "Well, there is one other small problem."

"That is?"

"Well, we currently don't have any in stock," the proprietor said. "In fact, it will be approximately four months before we will be able to get your Firebolt to you, Mr. Williams."

"I'm willing to wait," said Marcus.

"In that case," said the propreitor. "I'll just need you to fill out this parchment, confirming the reservation of your Firebolt."

As Marcus filled out the necessary information on the parchment, he could hear an uproar of excitement among the witches and wizards, no doubt talking about his actions.

Once he filled out the form, he handed it back to the proprietor, who rolled it up and said to him, "Thank you for your patronage today. We hope to see you again."

Marcus made his way to Harry and, as the two of them proceeded to leave the store, Harry said, "You realize you are absolutely mad, right?"

"Oh, yes," said Marcus. "But, there is usually reason within the madness."

* * *

Despite the rather interesting transaction, Marcus knew that him and Harry had to buy the rest of their supplies. So, one week before the start of term, they went to the Apothecary to replenish their store of potions ingredients, they went to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions and bought new robes, because not only were their old robes inches too short, but Marcus felt that his robes were feeling too snug from all the bulk he gained over the summer. Most importantly, they had to buy their new books for the two subjects they were taking: Care of Magical Creatures and Divination.

Marcus was rather surprised when he looked through the bookshop window with Harry as, instead of the usual display of gold-embossed spellbooks the size of paving slabs, there was a large iron cage behind the glass that held around a hundred copies of _The Monster Book of Monsters_. Marcus could see torn pages flying everywhere, the books grappling with each other, locked in furious wrestling matches and snapping aggressively.

Marcus felt a little wary, but then felt relief when Harry pulled out his booklist and noted that _The Monster Book of Monsters_ was listed as the required book for Care of Magical Creatures. Regardless of the reason why Hagrid sent him that terrifying book as a present, it was going to come in handy.

The two of them entered Flourish and Blotts and, immediately, the manager hurried to them and said, "Hogwarts? Come to get your new books?"

"Yes," said Harry, "We need -"

The manager whimpered a bit before saying, "Get out of my way," brushing Marcus and Harry aside. He drew on a pair of very thick gloves, picked up a large, knobbly walking stick, and proceeded toward the door of the _Monster Books'_ cage.

"Wait, hold on!" Marcus exclaimed. "I already have that book."

"Actually, I already have one, too," said Harry.

"Have you?" A look of enormous relief spread over the manager's face. "Thank heavens for that. I've been bitten five times already this morning -"

A loud ripping noise was suddenly heard; Marcus saw two of the _Monster Books_ had seized a third and were pulling it apart.

"Stop it! Stop it!" cried the manager, poking the walking stick through the bars and knocking the books apart. "I'm never stocking them again, never! It's been bedlam! I thought we'd seen the worst when we bought two hundred copies of the _Invisible Book of Invisibility_ \- cost a fortune, and we never found them...Well...is there anything else I can help you boys with?"

"Yes," said Harry, looking down his booklist, "We need _Unfogging the Future_ by Cassandra Vablatsky."

"Ah, starting Divination, are you?" said the manager, stripping off his gloves.

"Unfortunately," muttered Marcus so that only Harry could hear. As the two of them followed the manager to the back, Marcus recalled seeing that class on the available class list last school year and knew that, while there wasn't much else to choose from, it was by far the least desirable to him. The art was considered, by most people, very imprecise; he himself didn't consider it a useful skill, and he heard that the professor that taught the class was way out there, to say the least.

"Here you are," said the manager, who had climbed a set of steps to take down two thick, black-bound books. " _Unfogging the Future._ Very good guide to all your basic fortune-telling methods - palmistry, crystal balls, bird entrails -"

Marcus noticed that Harry wasn't paying any attention to the manager. He glanced over to see that Harry was looking at a book that had a lot to do with death omens. Marcus was confused by this. Was there something going on with Harry that Marcus didn't know?

"Oh, I wouldn't read that if I were you," said the manager lightly, looking to see what Harry was staring at. "You'll start seeing death omens everywhere. It's enough to frighten anyone to death."

The manager proceeded to give them their copies of _Unfogging the Future_ before saying, "Anything else?"

"Just a few more things," said Marcus, giving Harry a nudge to his side, causing him to get back with reality. "We'll need _Intermediate Transfiguration_ and _The Standard Book of Spells, Grade Three_."

Ten minutes later, the two of them walked out of Flourish and Blotts, their new books under their arms. They made their way to The Leaky Cauldron, where they would use the Floo Network to get back to Marcus' house.

Once they arrived, Marcus looked to Harry and said, "Harry, did something happen before my dad found you?"

"What?" said Harry, "Oh, no, nothing happened."

Marcus could tell by Harry's voice that he was lying, but he wasn't going to push the issue.

* * *

As the days dwindled away, as much as Marcus was having fun with Harry, squeezing in his workouts and summer training whenever he could, he was really looking forward to meeting up with everyone again. Yeah, his parents were fun to be around, but it wasn't the same, especially considering they were rarely home. Marcus and Harry went to Diagon Alley everyday, looking for Ron and Hermione. They saw a good number of Hogwarts students as they were getting closer to the start of term, including Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas, who were fellow Gryffindors at Hogwarts. They met them in Quality Quidditch Supplies, where they too were ogling the Firebolt. Luckily for Marcus, all excitement of him buying his own Firebolt died away before Hogwarts students started to come to Diagon Alley. They also ran into Neville Longbottom, a round-faced boy that had a memory worse than a goldfish. They didn't stop to chat, however. It looked like poor Neville misplaced his booklist and was being told off by his rather terrifying grandmother.

On the last day of holiday, as the two of them exited the Leaky Cauldron to go into Diagon Alley, Harry looked to Marcus and asked, "Hey, Marcus, do you think we'll see Ron and Hermione today?"

"Well, I would most certainly think so," said Marcus. "I would imagine they have to get their supplies. Even if we don't, we're sure to see them on the train tomorrow, right?"

"That's true," said Harry. "Hey, do you want to get another look at the Firebolt?"

"Of course," said Marcus, smirking. "That broom is the most amazing broom I've ever seen."

So, after taking in every last detail of the Firebolt at Quality Quidditch, Marcus said, "Where do you think we should get something to eat?"

"Um, I'm not sure," said Harry. "We could try -"

"Harry! Marcus! GUYS!"

The two of them would recognize that voice anywhere. Marcus and Harry turned to the source of the voice to find Ron and Hermione sitting outside Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor. Ron was looking very freckly while Hermione looked very tan, both of whom were waving at Marcus and Harry.

"Finally!" said Ron, grinning at Harry and Marcus as they were sitting down. "We went to the Leaky Cauldron, to try and meet you guys there when you left Marcus' house. But, they said you two already left the bar, and we went to Flourish and Blotts, and Madam Malkin's, and -"

"Marcus and I got all our school stuff last week," Harry explained. "And how come you knew I was staying at Marcus's place?"

"Dad," said Ron simply.

It came as no surprise to Marcus that Ron already knew about Harry's situation. Ron's Dad, Mr. Weasley, worked in the Ministry of Magic, just like his Dad.

"Harry, what's it like staying at Marcus' place?" Ron eagerly asked.

Marcus was afraid of hearing Harry's answer. He tried his best to accomdate Harry, but perhaps Harry didn't like it as much as he thought?

"It's astounding!" Harry exclaimed. "It looks normal on the outside, but is absolutely breathtaking on the inside! And Marcus' parents are just awesome to talk to, they almost feel like close friends."

Marcus mentally sighed in great relief as Ron said, "I must admit, I'm feeling jealous."

Marcus then noticed Hermione looking at Harry in a disapproving sort of way.

"You should just get it out of your system, Hermione," said Marcus. "It doesn't do you any good to bottle it all in."

"Did you _really_ blow up your aunt, Harry?" asked Hermione in a very serious tone.

"I didn't mean to," said Harry, Marcus smirking and Ron roaring with laughter. "I just - lost control."

"Heck, I would've blown up those particular Muggle on _purpose_ ," Marcus said to them. He saw the dark look he was receiving from Hermione and said, "You don't understand, seeing as you never met them. Blowing them up is the least they deserve."

"It doesn't matter, Marcus, rules and laws are established for a reason," said Hermione, "And it's not funny, Ron. Honestly, I'm amazed Harry wasn't expelled."

"So am I," admitted Harry. "Forget expelled, I thought I was going to be arrested." Marcus saw Harry looking to Ron before Harry said, "Your dad doesn't know why Fudge let me off in particular, does he? Mr. Williams wasn't able to explain much."

"Probably 'cause it's you, isn't it?" shrugged Ron, still chuckling. "Famous Harry Potter and all that. I'd hate to see what the Ministry'd do to _me_ if I blew up an aunt. Mind you, they'd have to dig me up first, because Mum would've killed me. Anyway, you can ask Dad yourself this evening. We're staying at the Leaky Cauldron tonight! So you can come to King's Cross with us tomorrow! Hermione's there as well!"

Hermione nodded, beaming. "Mum and Dad dropped me off this morning with all my Hogwarts things."

Marcus felt a little sad at this. He knew that he wanted to go with his Uncle Remus, but it meant not going to the Hogwarts Express with Harry or the others for the first time. Sure, it wasn't that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things, but it was something that Marcus cherished.

"Excellent!" said Harry happily. "So, have you got all your new books and stuff?"

Marcus snapped out of it as Ron said, "Look at this." He pulled out a long thin box out of a bag, opened it, and continued, "Brand-new wand. Fourteen inches, willow, containing one unicorn tail-hair. And we've got all our books -" He pointed at a large bag under his chair. "What about those _Monster Books_ , eh? The assistant nearly cried when we said we wanted two."

"Hermione, why do you have so many books?" asked Marcus, who noticed that Hermione had three bulging bags of books sitting next to her chair.

"Well, I'm taking more new subjects than you three, aren't I?" said Hermione. "Those are my new books for Arithmancy, Care of Magical Creatures, Divination, the Study of Ancient Runes, Muggle Studies -"

"What are you doing Muggle Studies for?" said Ron, rolling his eyes at Marcus and Harry. "You're Muggle-born! Your mum and dad are Muggles! You already know all about Muggles!"

"But it'll be fascinating to study them from the wizarding point of view," said Hermione earnestly.

"Hermione, I'm agreeing with Ron on this one," said Marcus. "There's a difference between different aspect and redundancy."

"Are you planning to eat or sleep at all this year, Hermione?" asked Harry, while Ron sniggered.

Hermione ignored both Marcus and Harry as she checked her purse and stated, "I've still got ten Galleons. It's my birthday in September, and Mum and Dad gave me some money to get myself an early birthday present."

"How about a nice _book_?" said Ron innocently.

"No, I don't think so," said Hermione composedly. "I really want an owl. I mean, Harry's got Hedwig, Marcus has Archie, and you've got Errol -"

"I haven't," said Ron. "Errol's a family owl. All I've got is Scabbers." He pulled his rat out of his pocket before saying, "And I want to get him checked over. I don't think Egypt agreed with him."

As Ron sat Scabbers on their table, Marcus had to agree with him. He saw Scabbers looking thinner than before and there was a droop to his whiskers. There was also one of it's toes missing from one of his front paws, but that had always been there.

"There's a magical creature shop just over there," said Harry. "You could see if they've got anything for Scabbers, and Hermione can get her owl."

They paid their ice cream and started to make their way down the street to the Magical Menagerie when Marcus heard a familiar voice say, "There you are, Marcus!"

The four of them turned and Marcus saw Lorelei Flamel standing ten feet from them. He couldn't help but smirk seeing her for the first time since the school year ended, with her waist long hair the color of blood, emerald eyes, and her smile that seemed to shine like diamonds. She was wearing a simple red long sleeved blouse, jeans, and tennis shoes.

"Marcus, we'll meet you at the Leaky Cauldron," said Hermione, who started to drag Harry and Ron along.

"All right, then, I'll see you guys there," said Marcus. He then looked at Lorelei and asked, "Are you here to get your school supplies?"

"Actually, I got them all yesterday," said Lorelei. "I'm here with my Dad. He's at the Leaky Cauldron, taking it easy before we go back home. I thought I'd try to see if I could find you before I left."

"Well, here I am," said Marcus. He then had an idea form in his head. "Say, Lorelei, I want to show you something."

"Okay," she said eagerly.

The two of them walked down the street until they reached the end of it. Marcus then looked to his left to find an abandoned building.

"That's weird," said Marcus. "It was here last year, wasn't it?"

"What was, Marcus?" asked Lorelei.

"Oh, right! I forgot!" said Marcus, mostly to himself. "He moves his store around! Perhaps if I will it hard enough-"

He then turned to Lorelei and said, "Okay, Lorelei, you want to make yourself better in every way, right?"

"Of course," said Lorelei, who was looking confused.

"Okay, I need you to focus on that desire," said Marcus. "Close your eyes and think really hard about it."

He saw her close her eyes before doing the same, focusing entirely on his will and desire to be better than he currently was.

After a minute, he opened his eyes and couldn't believe it.

The building was no longer abandoned. Instead, there was a sign above the entrance that said "Mr. Nilrem's Warrior Emporium."

Marcus then turned to Lorelei and said, "Lorelei! Open your eyes! We did it!"

She opened her eyes and gasped, "That wasn't here a minute ago!"

"Come on, come on," said Marcus, eagerly walking through the door.

Sure enough, he saw the familiar sight of hanged swords and shields on the walls, the glass cases of invaluable trinkets, and the old guy that currently had his back facing him, putting away some merchandise.

"Mr. Nilrem, is that you?" said Marcus.

The old man turned to face him and formed a smile on his face as he said, "Young Mr. Williams, it's been quite some time since I've seen you! Goodness me, am I in England? That must've taken some effort to get me and my store to appear here in Diagon Alley."

Marcus turned back to Lorelei, who was gaping at everything inside the store, and he said, "Oh, crap, I'm being so rude!" He brought Lorelei to the counter and said, "Mr. Nilrem, this is Lorelei Flamel. She's a friend of mine and my training partner."

"We are well met, Ms. Flamel," said Mr. Nilrem. "I am Mr. Nilrem, and I'm the owner of Mr. Nilrem's Warrior Emporium."

"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Nilrem," said Lorelei.

"Hm, very interesting," said Mr. Nilrem, "Yes, I believe I know just the item for you, Ms. Flamel. Give me one second to go in the back and retrieve it."

As he went to go and retrieve the item, Lorelei looked to Marcus and asked, "Did this happen to you, too?"

"More or less," replied Marcus.

Marcus then heard, "Oh, come on, I can't possibly have lost it. Where in the world is that blasted item?!"

"Yeah, that happened, too," Marcus remarked as he saw the astounded look Lorelei had on her face.

"Ah, yes, here it is!" exclaimed Mr. Nilrem as they heard him making his way back up to the counter.

He placed a rather small box on the counter top and said, "Yes, this is one of my more impressive items, and you're about to see why."

He opened it to reveal a shining, blue-green metal pendant with a shield charm as the centerpiece.

"It's so beautiful," gasped Lorelei.

"It's called the Shining Shield," stated Mr. Nilrem. " It is a rather beautifully crafted jewelry, with forgotten metal and crushed diamonds meld together, but it's true ability lies in it's power to protect the wearer."

"What?!" said Marcus. "It can do that?!"

"It's enchanted, so yes," said Mr. Nilrem. "In fact, it can block most spells for the wearer. Now, granted, there are some spells that the pendent will not be able to block, but it's still handy to have. The only catch is that the wearer has to will the spell being blocked for the pendant to work. The stronger your will is, the stronger the power of the pendant. And I'll give it you, Ms. Flamel, for only 100 Galleons."

"Wait a minute!" said Marcus. "How come the pendant cost less than my armguards did?"

"Because women are far scarier than men with it comes to certain things, Mr. Williams," said Mr. Nilrem. Marcus looked at him confused, to which the store owner stated, "When you are older and a bit wiser, young man, you'll know exactly what I mean."

"I wish I could buy it," said Lorelei. "But, I don't have the money."

"Take the necessary Galleons out of my vault, Mr. Nilrem," said Marcus.

"Very well," said Mr. Nilrem, who closed the small box and handed it to Lorelei. "Be sure to take good care of it, Ms. Flamel, and it will take care of you."

Lorelei said to Mr. Nilrem, "I will, sir." She then looked to Marcus and said, "Oh, thank you, Marcus! You really shouldn't have!"

Marcus looked at Lorelei and noticed that she was blushing. For some odd reason, he felt his face getting hot. He quickly looked to the floor and said, "It's the least I can do."

"Now, run along!" said Mr. Nilrem with a smile. "The day is still yet to be finished!"

"Wait, I have to ask one more thing," said Marcus. "If I wanted to find top of the line material to make my own battle suit, where would I go?"

"You'd go to Omnifabrics in Hogsmeade," said Mr. Nilrem without missing a beat. "That store in the village has materials even I've rarely seen. If you want a suit worth fighting in, you'll want to go there."

"Let's meet again, Mr. Nilrem," said Marcus, who was suppressing his disappointment. "When the time is right."

Marcus and Lorelei then left the store.

As they were making their way to the Leaky Cauldron, Marcus saw a man waving in their direction, a man with short hair the color of blood and going in different directions, like it was wild.

"Oh, there's my dad," said Lorelei. "I think it's time for me to go."

"Now, don't forget," said Marcus. "Early morning after the welcoming feast, we're going to start our training, okay?"

"I won't forget," said Lorelei with a smile. "See you on the train, Marcus!"

He saw her running towards her dad and knew that, whatever this school year would bring, it would be interesting, regardless.

* * *

He then made his way into the Leaky Cauldron and found Mr. Weasley sitting at the bar, reading the Daily Prophet.

Only seconds after he walked in did the door behind him open, with Harry, Ron, and Hermione walking through it.

Mr. Weasley looked up and smiled as he said, "Harry! Marcus! How are you two?"

"I'm doing good, Mr. Weasley," said Marcus as he sat down near Mr. Weasley.

"Fine, thanks," said Harry, who followed Marcus in sitting down, along with Ron, Hermione, and all of their shopping.

Mr. Weasley put down his paper, and Marcus saw the face of Sirius Black staring at him, a sight that was all too familiar at this point.

"They still haven't caught him, then?" Harry asked.

"No," said Mr. Weasley, looking extremely grave. "They've pulled us all off our regular jobs at the Ministry to try and find him, but no luck so far." He then looked to Marcus and said, "I don't envy your father or mother one bit, Marcus. They've got a lot of pressure from Fudge to pull through."

Marcus knew this very well; His parents had a grand reputation for solving problems and fixing things that seemed impossible to do, but having an infamous criminal breaking out of Azkaban had to be a first, even for them.

"Would we get a reward if we caught him?" asked Ron. "It'd be good to get some more money -"

"Don't be ridiculous, Ron," said Mr. Weasley, who Marcus just notcied looked very strain, no doubt the side-effect of trying to find Black. "Black's not going to be caught by a thirteen-year-old wizard. It's the Azkaban guards who'll get him back, you mark my words."

At that moment, Mrs. Weasley entered the bar, laden with shopping bags and followed by the twins, Fred and George, who were about to start their fifth year at Hogwarts; the newly elected Head Boy, Percy; and the Weasleys' youngest child and only girl, Ginny.

Ginny Weasley was an interesting case. She was headstrong, spoke her mind, and was very confident...except when Harry was around, in which case Ginny became shy, accident-prone, and would flub her words. Him and Harry were able to rescue her from Tom Riddle's clutches at the end of last school year and it was evident that she still remembered that event, due to the fact that she saw Harry and became even more heartily embarrassed than before, if that was possible. Her face was very red and muttered "hello" without looking at him. Percy, however, held out his hand solemnly as though he had never met Harry or Marcus and said, "Harry, Marcus. How nice to see you both."

"Hello, Percy," said Harry and Marcus simultaneously, Marcus doing his best to suppress the urge to roll his eyes.

"I hope the two of you are well?" said Percy pompously, shaking hands. It was like he was meeting Fudge, which started to make Marcus feel really annoyed.

"Very well, thanks -" Harry started to say.

In that moment, however, Marcus saw Fred saying, "Harry! Old geezer!", elbowing Percy out of the way and bowing deeply. "Simply _splendid_ to see you, old chaps -"

"Marvelous," said George, pushing Fred aside and seizing Harry and Marcus' hands in turn. "Absolutely spiffing."

Percy scowled as Mrs. Weasley said, "That's enough, now," said Mrs. Weasley.

"Mum!" said Fred as though he'd only just spotted her and seizing her hand too. "How really corking to see you-"

Marcus facepalmed himself as Mrs. Weasley said, "I said, that's enough," depositing her shopping in an empty chair. "Hello, Harry, Marcus, dears. I suppose you've heard our exciting news?" She pointed to the brand-new silver badge on Percy's chest. "Second Head Boy in the family!" she said, swelling with pride.

 _"I wish I didn't just hear that,"_ thought Marcus. He didn't necessarily see eye-to-eye with authority figures. To him, they just got themselves too caught up with political bullcrap and trying to make everyone happy. He liked the far simpler approach, doing things that made himself better and doing what was right, not paying attention to what anyone else thought about it, even if it meant bending or breaking a few rules along the way.

Fred must've agreed with Marcus' aspect, due to him muttering under his breath, "And last."

"I don't doubt that," said Mrs. Weasley, frowing suddenly. "I notice they haven't made you two prefects."

"What do we want to be prefects for?" said George, looking revolted at the very idea. "It'd take all the fun out of life."

Ginny giggled as Mrs. Weasley snapped, "You want to set a better example for you sister!"

"Ginny's got other brothers to set her an example, Mother," said Percy loftily. "I'm going up to change for dinner..."

As he disappeared, George heaved a sigh, looked to Harry and Marcus, and said, "We tried to shut him in a pyramid. But Mum spotted us."

Dinner that night was a very enjoyable affair. Tom the innkeeper put three tables together in the parlor and the seven Weasleys, Harry, Hermione, and Marcus enjoyed their dinner. While everyone else went through five courses of food, Marcus restrained himself and only had a plate. It's not that he couldn't go through that much food, it's just that he would regret it the next time he did his workout.

"How're we getting to King's Cross tomorrow, Dad?" asked Fred as they dug into a sumptuous chocolate pudding.

"The Ministry's providing a couple of cars," said Mr. Weasley.

Everyone looked up at Mr. Weasley.

"Why?" said Percy curiously.

"It's because of you, Perce," said George seriously. "And there'll be little flags on the hoods, with HB on them -"

" - for Humongous Bighead," said Fred.

Marcus had to clap his mouth with his right hand to stop himself from bursting out loud in laughter while everyone else, except for Percy and Mrs. Weasley, snorted into their pudding.

"Why are the Ministry providing cars, Father?" Percy asked again, in a dignified voice.

"Well, as we haven't got one anymore," said Mr. Weasley, "- and as I work there, they're doing me a favor -"

Marcus narrowed his eyes at Mr. Weasley at this statement. He wasn't fooled one bit. He knew the Ministry of Magic just didn't loan out cars to every employee. In fact, they only loaned out cars to magic folk when it was an emergency. In this case, it was to ensure the welfare and safety of himself and Harry.

"Good thing, too," said Mrs. Weasley briskly. "Do you realize how much luggage you've all got between you? A nice sight you'd be on the Muggle Underground."

"You won't have to worry about me, Mrs. Weasley," Marcus stated.

"And why's that, old geezer?" Fred asked.

"Because I won't be going to Platform nine and three-quarters with you guys," Marcus explained.

"What?!" said Ron.

"I'm going with someone else," Marcus stated. "I already promised, and I'm not going to break it."

"Well, dear, just make sure you're all packed," said Mrs. Weasley. "Speaking of which, are all of you packed?"

"Ron hasn't put all his new things in his trunk yet," said Percy, in a long-suffering voice. "He's dumped them on my bed."

"You'd better go and pack properly, Ron, because we won't have much time in the morning," Mrs. Weasley called down the table. Ron scowled at Percy.

Once dinner was finished, Marcus started to walk away from the table when he heard Harry say, "Wait, Marcus! Who's this 'someone else' you'll be going to the Hogwarts Express with?"

"It's a secret, Harry," said Marcus. "Don't worry, it's not a bad thing, I promise."

"And what about all my stuff?" asked Harry. "It's still at your place."

Marcus looked around to make sure no one was near them before whispering, "I asked Blinky this morning to neatly pack all of your stuff and have it ready for my parents so that they can bring it to you when they come to pick me up."

"Oh, okay," said Harry, looking thourougly relieved. "Let's go and help Ron, he's bound to not be packed yet."

Marcus and Harry went up the stairs and were about to enter Ron's room when they heard angry voices through the wall.

The door was ajar and Percy was shouting.

"It was _here_ , on the bedside table, I took it off for polishing -"

"I haven't touched it, all right?" Ron roared back.

Marcus just sighed before opening the door and saying, "What the heck is going on?"

"My Head Boy badge is gone," said Percy, rounding on him.

"So's Scabbers' rat tonic," said Ron, throwing things out of his trunk to look. "I think I might've left it in the bar -"

"You're not going anywhere till you've found my badge!" yelled Percy.

"We'll get your things, we're already set to go," said Marcus, eager to get himself away from Percy.

Marcus and Harry were halfway along the passage to the bar, which was now very dark, when they heard another pair of angry voices coming the parlor. A second later, they recognized them as Mr. and Mrs. Weasleys'. They hesistated, not wanting them to know they were hearing them arguing, but the sound of their own names made the two of them stop, then moved closer to the parlor door.

"...makes no sense not to tell them," Mr. Weasley was saying heatedly. "Harry and Marcus have a right to know. I've tried to tell Fudge, but he insists on treating them like children. They're thirteen years old and -"

"Arthur, the truth would terrify them!" said Mrs. Weasley shrilly. "Do you really want to send Harry and Marcus back to school with that hanging over them? For heaven's sake, they're _happy_ not knowing!"

"I don't want to make them miserable, I want to put them on their guard!" retorted Mr. Weasley. "You know what Harry, Marcus, and Ron are like, wandering off by themselves - they've ended up in the Forbidden Forest twice! But Harry and Marcus mustn't do that this year! When I think what could've happened to him that night Harry ran away from home! If the Knight Bus hadn't picked him up, I'm prepared to bet he would have been dead before the Ministry found him."

"But Harry's _not_ dead, both boys are fine, so what's the point -"

"Molly, they say Sirius Black's mad, and maybe he is, but he was clever enough to escape from Azkaban, and that's supposed to be impossible. It's been three weeks, and no one's seen hide nor hair of him, and I don't care what Fudge keeps telling the _Daily Prophet_ , we're no nearer catching Black than inventing self-spelling wands. The only thing we know for sure is what Black's after -"

"But Harry and Marcus will be perfectly safe at Hogwarts."

Marcus silently scoffed at this statement. If her definition of safe was having a Cerberian Hound as a guard dog and a Basilisk secretly roaming through the castle, then she was off in every aspect of the word.

"We thought Azkaban was perfectly safe. If Black can break out of Azkaban, he can break into Hogwarts," Mr. Weasley stated.

"But no one's really sure that Black's after Harry and Marcus -"

Marcus heard a thud on wood, which he sure was Mr. Weasley had banged his fist on the table. Marcus was caught off guard; he'd never heard Mr. Weasley get this mad before.

"Molly, how many times do I have to tell you? They didn't report it in the press because Fudge wanted it kept quiet, but Fudge went out to Azkaban the night Black escaped. The guards told Fudge that Black's been talking in his sleep for a while now. Always the same words: 'They're at Hogwarts...they're at Hogwarts.' Black is deranged, Molly, and he wants Harry and Marcus dead. If you ask me, he thinks murdering Harry will bring You-Know-Who back to power and killing Marcus will make his Dark Army unstoppable. Black lost everything the night Harry stopped You-Know-Who and it didn't make things any better for him when Marcus stopped the Dark Prince. Black's had twelve years alone in Azkaban to brood on those thoughts..."

There was a silence. Marcus leaned closer to the door, not wanting to miss anything they were saying.

"Well, Arthur, you must do what you think is right. But you're forgetting Albus Dumbledore. I don't think anything could hurt Harry or Marcus at Hogwarts while Dumbledore's headmaster. I suppose he knows about all this?"

"Of course he knows. Michael had to ask him if he minds the Azkaban guards stationing themselves around the school grounds entrances. He wasn't happy about it, but he agreed."

"Not happy? Why shouldn't he be happy, if they're there to catch Black?"

"Dumbledore isn't fond of the Azkaban guards," said Mr. Weasley heavily. "I know that Michael hates them with a passion, and I'm not fond of them, as well...but when you're dealing with a wizard like Black, you sometimes have to join forces with those you'd rather avoid."

"If they save Harry and Marcus -"

" - then I will never say another word against them," said Mr. Weasley wearily. "It's late, Molly, we'd better go up..."

As Marcus and Harry were quickly and quietly leaving the area, Marcus felt greatly annoyed. Despite everything him and his friends were able to accomplish in the last two school years, the adults around them still insisted on treating them like fragile china dolls. Marcus knew that his life may be at risk with Black on the loose, but he seemed to be the only one thinking rationally. Despite him breaking out, Sirius Black was wandless and highly likely suffered from muscle atrophy. His best chance of escape was a physical one, which meant that he would have to have had swam to shore, which was about five miles from the prison. Marcus knew Black was alive, but he also reasoned that he wouldn't be fit to go after anyone, at least not yet.

The two of them had returned to the table they had sat at earlier, and Harry noticed that the bottle of rat tonic was lying underneath it. Just as Harry grabbed it, Marcus heard a familiar voice said, "There you are. Perfect timing, boys."

Marcus looked to find his parents standing close by, Harry's belongings being right next to his father.

"Here are your things, Harry," said Michael. "Hedwig's flying to the Leaky Cauldron as we speak. She seemed to prefer it that way. And sorry about being bad company. I wish we would've had more time to talk."

"Please, Mr. Williams, don't worry about it," said Harry. "It was great being able to talk to you and Mrs. Williams as much as I have."

"Well, as much as we would love to stay and chat, we have to leave first thing in the morning," said Brynn.

"That's my cue," said Marcus. He turned to Harry and said, "See you on the Hogwarts Express. I'll save the last compartment on the train for the four of us."

"See you then, Marcus," said Harry as the Williams family went into the fireplace and used to the Floo Network to go home.

* * *

Once they returned home, Marcus saw Uncle Remus lying asleep on the living room couch.

"Geez, he knows he can sleep in the guest bedroom," said Marcus.

"It must be second nature to him by now," said Michael. "We'll wake him up in the morning."

Marcus looked at his parents as Brynn said, "This will be the last time you'll see us until at least Christmas. We should be back in the country by then. Take good care of yourself, and do what you think is right, Marcus."

"I will, Mom," said Marcus, who hugged his mother, then his father.

His parents then got back into the fireplace and Michael said, "Ministry of Magic," before the two of were swallowed into the green flame.

As Marcus made his way into his bedroom, he heard, "Is Master feeling okay?"

"More or less, Blinky," said Marcus as the two of them entered his room. "I thought you were going to go to Hogwarts tonight, Blinky."

"Blinky is still going to, Master," said his house-elf. "But, Blinky wanted to give his master advice on his ocular training before leaving."

"Advice?" Marcus asked.

"Yes," said Blinky. "Master should not focus on using his negative emotions to further his vision enhancement. Master should instead focus on using his neutral emotions."

"I see what you're saying, Blinky," said Marcus. It was true that he'd been relying on his anger in order to get his vision to the next level, since anger was the easiest way to enhance his current level of vision. What Blinky told him, more or less, was to try and be calm when attempting to further empower his vision.

"I'll try it the first chance I'll get, Blinky," Marcus said with a smirk. "Thank you, Blinky. You may go to Hogwarts now."

"Blinky takes his leave, then," said the house-elf before disappearing with a _crack_.

Marcus then changed into his pajamas and got into bed, wondering just what on earth could this year at Hogwarts bring.

 **And here ends another chapter of HP: Freedom's Path! Please feel free to leave a review, letting me know your thoughts on the story so far. Also, if you have any questions for me personally, don't hesitate to leave me a PM, and I will do my best to answer them! Until then, keep your eyes peeled for the next chapter of HP: Freedom's Path!**


	4. (04) A New Fear

**Welcome, one and all, to another chapter of HP: Freedom's Path! Normally, I wouldn't post another chapter so soon, but I have a reason for doing so, and this is why: Until I have caught up with my quota of chapters for the next installment of this series, I will not be posting new chapters in this book. Don't get me wrong, this decision has nothing to do with anyone or anything except for myself, for I haven't been able to focus on this series as much as I like. That's going to change. I want to be able to provide continuous content for all of you that take the time to read my work, and that won't happen if I don't continue to make headway of my future installments. This is not a hiatus by any meanings, just a temporary measure to ensure that there is no indefinite halts. Last, but not least...**

 **I hereby declare that I own nothing of the Harry Potter series except for the OC's that purely exist within the confines of my interpretation of the fantastic series that has touched many lives in its wake.**

 **Now, here's...**

Chapter 4: A New Fear

 **Enjoy, ladies and gentlemen!**

Marcus woke up early that morning to get one last workout in, knowing that he probably wasn't going to be able to get an evening workout that night. Once he completed that, he showered, got dressed in a t-shirt and athletic pants and waited for Uncle Remus to wake up.

It was around half-past nine before his Uncle Remus finally woke up. He rubbed his eyes, looked at Marcus, and said, "Hey, Marcus, what time is it?"

"It's half-past nine," said Marcus. "We've got to get going, Uncle Remus."

"Right, right," said Uncle Remus, stretching his arms and sitting up. "Are you all ready to go?"

"I've been ready since last night," stated Marcus. "You should at least fix up your hair before we leave."

It took his Uncle Remus five minutes to do so and, by the time they left the house, it was quarter to ten.

"We'll have to Apparate to Diagon Alley and get to King's Cross from there," Uncle Remus said to Marcus. "Hold on to my sleeves and your stuff."

"All right," said Marcus as he held onto his belongings with his left hand and grabbed onto his Uncle's sleeve with his right hand.

Before he knew it, they were standing outside the Leaky Cauldron. Marcus looked behind him to already see a Ministry car waiting for them.

"Mr. Williams, Mr. Lupin, your ride," said the driver, who opened the door and trunk.

The driver started to place their belongings inside the trunk while Marcus and Remus made their way inside the vehicle.

Once they were on their way, Marcus looked to his Uncle and said, "So, what kind of things will you be teaching this year?"

"You know I can't tell you that," said Remus. "You'll have to find out with the rest of your classmates."

"Oh, fine," said Marcus.

"So, your parents told me that you bought yourself a Firebolt," said Remus. "They didn't seem too happy about it."

"I didn't exactly get around to telling them," said Marcus. "They've been extremely busy with their work. And, besides, it's my money. I can do what I want with it."

"It's true, you can," said Remus. "Still, twenty five hundred Galleons is nothing to sneeze at."

"Yeah, I was really hoping it wasn't going to be that expensive," said Marcus, who looked grim. "That purchase wiped out half of my vault. Guess I'll have to make more bets with Mr. Booker to try and recover my finances."

"It's prime time to do so," said his uncle. "The World Cup tournament matches are going to take place in a couple of weeks."

"I thought adults were supposed to discourage such actions, Uncle Remus," said Marcus, smirking.

"Well, you're not doing anything wrong," said his uncle. "You are allowed to make bets with Mr. Booker, and you haven't lost your bets yet."

"I do find that awfully odd," said Marcus. "I'm not looking a gift unicorn in the mouth, but I can't explain how I'm able to do it. It justs...come to me, I guess."

"Well, make sure you don't overdue it," said his uncle. "I wonder how the students will think of me as a professor?"

"Well, I'm not going to lie, they'll be a little wary at first," said Marcus. "They're always like that with someone they're not familiar with. Once they see you in action, though, I've no doubt everyone will think highly of you...well, except for the Slytherins. They don't like anyone but themselves."

All of a sudden, the driver said, "King's Cross, gentleman."

Marcus looked out his window, seeing King's Cross, and said, "Well, dang, that was quick." He looked at the time and stated, "Well, it's only quarter after ten. We have plenty of time to get through the barrier."

They gathered their things from the car and made their way to Platform nine and three-quarters.

"Well, there it is," said Marcus when the two of them were standing in front of the barrier. "Let's go."

His uncle nodded as the two of walked briskly through the barrier, seeing the Hogwarts Express and all the students loading their stuff into the train.

"It's been a long time since I've seen this train with my own eyes," said Remus. "It hasn't changed much."

Marcus put his things in the luggage car while his uncle held on to his. The two of them got on the train and made their way to the last possible compartment, opening the door and sitting down next to each other.

Marcus heard his uncle yawn and say, "Well, Marcus, I believe that I'm going to go to sleep."

As his uncle put his luggage on the rack above them, Marcus said, "You can't seriously be going to sleep. You slept in this morning!"

"To be honest, I haven't been faring that well recently," said Remus. "Sleeping will hopefully get me on the right track."

"Fair enough," said Marcus as his uncle leaned his head against the window side wall of the compartment and fell straight asleep.

Marcus then spent the time trying to focus his vision, to get that next level of enhancement. He was on the verge of succeeding when he heard the compartment door open, breaking his concentration.

"There you are!" said Marcus, who saw Harry, Ron, and Hermione. "What kept you guys?"

"Mr. Weasley was holding me up," said Harry, who took a seat next to him while Ron and Hermione sat across from them.

"Who d'you reckon he is?" Ron hissed at them.

"Professor R. J. Lupin," Hermione whispered at once.

"How d'you know that?" Ron whispered exasperately.

"It's on his case," she replied, pointing at the luggage rack from above.

"Wonder what he teaches?" said Ron, frowning at the state of Marcus' uncle.

"That's obvious, Ron," said Marcus. "He'll be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"Well, I hope he's up to it," said Ron doubtfully. "He looks like one good hex would finish him off, doesn't he?"

Marcus instantly wanted to jinx Ron something awful, but there was no denying that his uncle wasn't in the best of conditions, so he let it go.

"Anyway -" Ron turned to Harry, "-What were you going to tell us?"

Marcus heard Harry explaining what the two of heard from Mr. and Mrs. Weasley last night as well as what Mr. Weasley warned Harry about just before getting on the train. When he'd finished, Ron looked thunderstruck and Hermione had her hands over her mouth. She finally lowered them to say, "Sirius Black escaped to come after _you both_? Oh, Harry, Marcus...you'll have to be really, really careful. Don't go looking for trouble, guys -"

"We don't go looking for trouble," said Harry, looking a bit annoyed.

"Trouble usually has a way of finding us," said Marcus, agreeing with Harry.

"How thick would Harry or Marcus have to be to go looking for a nutter who wants to kill them?" said Ron shakily.

Marcus felt the scar on his torso as he thought, _"Well, I can only think of a few reasons for that, none of which I hope any one of you come to realize."_

"No one knows how he got out of Azkaban," continued Ron uncomfortably. "No one's ever done it before. And he was a top-security prisoner too."

"But they'll catch him, won't they?" said Hermione earnestly. "I mean, they've got all the Muggles looking out for him too..."

 _"Highly unlikely, Hermione,"_ thought Marcus.

"What's that noise?" said Ron suddenly.

Marcus heard it too: A faint, whining sort of noise was coming from somewhere.

"It's coming from your trunk, Harry," said Ron, standing up and reaching into the luggage rack. a moment later, Ron pulled Harry's Sneakoscope from between Harry's robes. It was spinning very fast in the palm of Ron's hand and glowing intensly.

 _"Someone untrustworthy's here?!"_ thought Marcus.

He enhanced his vision and started to look around the compartment as he heard Hermione say with interest, "Is that a _Sneakoscope_?"

Marcus couldn't find anything, so he returned his vision to normal just as Ron was saying, "Yeah...mind you, it's a very cheap one. It went haywire just as I was tying it to Errol's leg to send it to Harry."

"Where you doing anything untrustworthy at the time?" said Hermione shrewdly.

"No! Well...I wasn't supposed to be using Errol. You know he's not really up to long journeys...but how else was I suppose to get Harry's present to him?"

"Stick it back in Harry's trunk," said Marcus as the whistling pitch started to increase, "or else it's going to wake my uncle up."

As Ron stuffed the Sneakoscope into a particularly horrible pair of socks, closing the lid, and sitting back down, he said, "We could get it checked in Hogsmeade. They sell that sort of thing in Dervish and Banges, magical instruments and stuff. Fred and George told me."

"Do you know much about Hogsmeade?" asked Hermione keenly. "I've read it's the only entirely non-Muggle settlement in Britain -"

"Yeah, I think it is," said Ron in an offhand sort of way, "but that's not why I want to go. I just want to get inside Honeydukes!"

"What's that?" said Hermione.

"It's this sweetshop," said Ron, a dreamy look coming over him, "where they've got _everything_...Pepper Imps - they make you smoke at the mouth - and great fat Chocoballs full of strawberry mousse and clotted cream, and really excellent sugar quills, which you can suck in class and just look like you're thinking what to write next -"

"But Hogsmeade's a very interesting place, isn't it?" Hermione pressed on eagerly. "In _Sites of Historical Sorcery_ it says the inn was the headquarters for the 1612 goblin rebellion, and the Shrieking Shack's supposed to be the most severly haunted building in Britain -"

"- and massive sherbet balls that make you levitate a few inches off the ground while you're sucking them," said Ron, who was obviously not listening to a word Hermione was saying.

Having to hear all this about Hogsmeade was tugging at his heart. For there to be such an awesome place, with all of these wonderful shops, especially a fabric store Mr. Nilrem recommended, and to not be able to go with everyone else because his parents were paranoid about some Dementors just ate away at him.

Hermione looked to Harry and Marcus as she said, "Won't it be nice to get out of school for a bit and explore Hogsmeade?"

"'Spect it will," said Harry heavily. "You'll have to tell me and Marcus when you've found out."

"What d'you mean?" said Ron.

"We can't go, Ron," said Marcus. "Neither of us were able to get our permission forms signed."

Ron looked horrified.

" _You're both not allowed to come_? But - no way - McGonagall or someone will give you two permission -"

"Don't be so thick!" snapped Marcus, hatred dripping with every word. "The adults around us will be treating me and Harry like fragile little dolls with Black being free, which means that they'll make sure that we're safe, even if it means being treated differently from everyone else."

"Well, we can ask Fred and George," Ron suggested in an attempt to cheer Marcus up. "They know every secret passage out of the castle -"

"Ron!" said Hermione sharply. "I don't think Harry or Marcus should be sneaking out of school with Black on the loose -"

"That just proves my point, right there!" said Marcus.

"Professor McGonagall will probably say that to me when I ask permission to go," said Harry in a bitter tone.

"But if _we're_ with them," said Ron spiritedly to Hermione, "Black wouldn't dare -"

"Oh, Ron, don't talk rubbish," snapped Hermione. "Black's already murdered a whole bunch of people in the middle of a crowded street. Do you really think he's going to worry about attacking Harry or Marcus just because _we're_ there?"

Marcus saw Hermione fumbling with the straps of some basket while she was speaking.

Apparently, Ron didn't like what she was doing, because he said, "Don't let that thing out!" Marcus found himself very confused until the basket came undone and out came what he thought was the most hideous cat ever.

For the briefest of time, Marcus saw a ginger cat whose fur was thick and fluffy, but was bowlegged and its face looked grumpy and squashed, like someone sat on it and its face just stayed that way. The cat in question made a quick beeline to the lump in Ron's pocket, which contained Scabbers. Ron then shoved Crookshanks angrily away.

"Get out of here!"

"Ron, don't!" said Hermione angrily.

Crookshanks then saw Marcus and, for a second, Marcus thought the cat was studying him. Then, the cat lept at his lap, Marcus getting ready to shove it off, but his left arm froze in midar from the shock of what happened next.

Crookshanks walked in a circle on Marcus' lap before laying on it and falling asleep.

"Wow," said Hermione. "Crookshanks must really like you, Marcus. I wonder why?"

"Who cares!" Ron exclaimed. "Better him than me or Scabbers, for that matter."

 _"I wonder if it's because Crookshanks somehow knows that I can shift into a giant, hairy cat,"_ thought Marcus.

"Oh, no!" Hermione said suddenly. "The professor!"

Marcus looked to see his uncle still sleeping before looking to Hermione and saying, "Don't worry about him. My uncle can pretty much sleep through just about anything."

"Is he really your uncle, Marcus?" Hermione asked him.

"Well...technically, no," Marcus admitted. "But, he's been a big part of the family for as long as I can remember, so I just see him that way." He turned to Harry and said, "This is what I meant by my secret, and who I made my promise with. I don't get to spend a lot of time with him, he's always searching for a job."

"He looks a little worse for wear, if you ask me," said Ron.

"His adult life has been rough," Marcus stated. "But, I'm really glad he has the Defense Against the Dark Arts job. He's going to be great, I just know it."

Not too many words were said until around one o'clock, when the plump witch with the food cart arrived at the compartment door.

"D'you think we should wake him up?" Ron asked awkwardly, nodding toward Professor Lupin. "He looks like he could do with some food."

"Don't bother," said Marcus, seeing Hermione approaching him. "He'll get something to eat once he wakes up. It's best if you don't force him to wake up."

"Don't worry, dear," said the witch as she handed Harry a large stack of Cauldron Cakes. "If he's hungry when he wakes, I'll be up front with the driver."

"I guess he _is_ asleep, isn't he?" said Ron quietly as the witch slid the compartment door closed. "I mean - he hasn't died, has he?"

Marcus facepalmed himself as Hermione stated, "No, no, he's breathing," taking the Cauldron Cake Harry passed her.

It may have been a little unorthodox to have an adult on a student only train, but it did have its perks when, around midafternoon, just as it had started to rain, blurring the rolling hills outside the window, Marcus heard footsteps in the corridor again, and the few people that he couldn't stand were right there at their door: Draco Malfoy, flanked by his cronies, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle.

Marcus knew that Malfoy was Harry's mortal enemy, but it didn't stop Marcus from having to deal with the pureblood supremist on numerous occassions. A pale, pointed, and sneering face of a boy, he was in Slytherin and played on their Quidditch team as their Seeker, the same position Harry played on the Gryffindor team.

"Well, look who it is," said Malfoy in his usual lazy drawl, pulling open the compartment door. "Potty, the Weasel, and the old geezer."

Marcus would've gotten up and punched Malfoy right in the face if it wasn't for the fact that Crookshanks was still asleep on his lap.

"I heard your father finally got his hands on some gold this summer, Weasley," said Malfoy. "Did your mother die of shock?"

Marcus moved the cat off of his lap while Ron shot up so quickly that he knocked Crookshanks's basket to the floor. Professor Lupin gave a snort.

"Who's that?" said Malfoy, taking an automatic step backward as he spotted Remus.

"New teacher," said Harry, who got to his feet. "What were you saying, Malfoy?"

Marcus saw Malfoy's pale eyes narrow; he was a sniveling, whiny brat, but he wasn't stupid enough to pick a fight right under a teacher's nose.

"C'mon," he muttered resentfully to Crabbe and Goyle, and they disappeared.

Marcus saw Harry and Ron sitting down again, Ron massaging his knuckles.

"I'm not going to take any crap from Malfoy this year," he said angrily. "I mean it. If he makes one more crack about my family, I'm going to get hold of his head and -"

Ron made a violent gesture in midair, causing Hermione to point at Professor Lupin and hissing, "Ron, be _careful_..."

 _"Oh, that won't wake him up,"_ thought Marcus as he saw his uncle still fast asleep.

As the train went farther north, Marcus decided to once again try to achieve the next level of vision enhancement. He wasn't paying attention to anything around him, he was merely trying to focus on his goals.

He felt the train slowing down. It struck him as odd that it would be slowing down when they haven't arrived yet, but he put forth all his mental effort and, suddenly, it happened.

He went from seeing just plain golden auras to colored auras, each person having different colors around him. He was able to see through the walls, something his former vision enhancement wouldn't allow, and if he focused on a particular person, they became inverted, their colored auras still present, but more detailed.

He couldn't believe it. He felt the train stop, the lights suddenly went out, but he didn't care. His friends were talking around him, but he was just excited that he finally achieved his goal.

The only thing that snapped him out of it was his Uncle Remus suddenly saying in a hoarse voice, "Quiet!"

He looked around, suddenly aware of the situation, and then he saw it.

A creature floating in midair entered the same car they were in, cloaked in a pitch-black aura that sent a horrible chill up his spine, but that wasn't the worst of it. Inside the pitch-black aura was a beyond ugly thing, just an upper body with arms and a head. What looked like dried up skin hung from different places, which was gruesome enough, but then there was its head.

There were no eyes. No eyes, no ears, and no nose. Half of the space on its head was taken up by a big sucker of a mouth. Looking into it caused Marcus' insides to ice up horribly, his cheerfulness gone.

"Stay where you are," he vaugely heard his uncle speak, but his focus was entirely on the creature that made its way to the door and opened it.

Marcus saw the creature look around and, eventually, its head was faced directly at him. He felt himself drowning in sorrow and agony. He couldn't remember the last time he felt this way. He felt the glistening, dead-looking left hand of the creature grab around his throat, and then it happened.

He could vividly see a witch in her late teens laying on the ground, her eyes opened, not moving in an open front yard.

He could see a little boy's hands shaking the lifeless witch, the voice echoing, _"Orielle! Orielle! Get up! Get up!"_

Nothing the boy did would get her to move. He couldn't understand, he didn't know why she wouldn't just get up.

He then heard a semi-deep, confident voice say, _"She's not getting up. She's dead, killed by my Killing Curse."_

His vision then refocused on a tall man with straight, black hair, with red eyes wearing a suit of black with a white tie and a black cloak over his suit.

Before he could yell for help, Marcus heard a distant voice say, "Marcus, Marcus, MARCUS!"

All of a sudden, his felt himself snapping back into focus, his vision normal, looking straight into the face of his uncle Remus.

He didn't know how, but he was sitting on the compartment floor, his hands on the sides of his head, and he felt great tears coming from his eyes. He looked around to find his friends looking at him in alarm and great worry.

He hurried to wipe away the tears and said, "Was that...?"

"A dementor," said Lupin, answering his unfinished question. "One of the dementors of Azkaban."

Marcus was still shaking from the horror of what he saw. There was no doubts about it: That was part of the memory of his fifth birthday, and what he just saw was his babysitter getting killed...by _him_.

"Eat this, Marcus," said his uncle, handing him a slab of chocolate. "It'll help you, I promise. I need to speak to the driver, excuse me..."

Once he left the compartment, Ron lifted him up and sat him down, saying, "Marcus, what happened?"

"I don't know," said Marcus. "I don't know."

"Marcus," said Hermione in an uneasy voice. "Who - who's Orielle?"

Marcus looked at Hermione, who still had a look of worry on her face, and said, "What makes you ask?"

"You were shouting, mate," said Harry. "Something about Orielle and getting up."

Marcus looked to the ground as he stated, "Orielle...was my babysitter a long time ago...she came to watch over me on my fifth birthday while my parents were in town."

He was silent for a minute before continuing, "We were playing games outside...she asked me what I wanted to play next...I told her I wanted to play duel...then _he_ showed up out of - out of nowhere...one second, I feel myself being pushed behind her..the next second, she was - she was -"

"She was what?" asked Hermione.

"She was mercilessly killed," stated Marcus. "By - by HIM!"

Anger overcame Marcus, washing the fear away, the sorrow. He felt his vision being enhanced, the same vision he achieved moments before the Dementor came. He emitted a deep growl that echoed throughout the compartment.

"She didn't do anything wrong!" he half-shouted. "She was just watching over me! She was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and THE DARK PRINCE JUST UP AND KILLED HER!"

He heard the compartment door open, and he heard a familiar voice saying, "Marcus! Are you all right?!"

He looked up to see Lorelei Flamel having the same look of worry.

She saw him, gripping her hands on his shoulders, saying, "Marcus, calm down. Take deep breaths. The Dark Prince is still locked away in Azkaban, he can't harm you here. Relax, Marcus, relax."

Marcus took deep breaths, remembering that it was in the past and, eventually, he was able to calm down.

"Thank you, Lorelei," said Marcus in a quiet, but ominous voice. "I'll see you at the Feast."

Once she left the compartment, Marcus immediately said, "No one talk to me right now. I need a few moments to recollect myself."

Marcus felt shaken to the core. Nothing made him feel the way he just felt, not since he encountered the Dark Prince at the age of five. He felt so powerless. He couldn't do anything against the creature that made him remember that part of his life, something he thought was impossible.

He now understood what his parents were talking about. He understood why his parents refused to sign that permission slip, why they didn't want him to be near a dementor.

But, that didn't mean that he was going to let this take him over.

Before he knew it, he felt Hermione's hand touch his shoulder to let him know that they arrived.

He quickly changed into his Hogwarts robes and exited the train with Harry, Ron, and Hermione, still not saying a word. He was in one of his foul, introverted moods, and his friends knew it.

He could hear the voice of Hagrid calling the first years over to him, but he didn't bother to look. He walked over to the stagecoaches, leaving his three friends hurrying after him. He saw the horrendous looking horses tied to the stagecoach, but didn't bother saying anything. As he got in, he was thinking of the different possibilites of rebounding from this. He didn't want this to hold him down, to hold him back, but how was he going to be able to do that?

He felt instantly cold all over again when their stagecoach passed by two dementors and he gripped the sides of his head for only an instant and just as quickly lowered his hands. He knew that, the first chance he had, he was going to do his research to try and find a way to combat Dementors.

At last, the carriages swayed to a stop. Hermione and Ron got out, followed by Harry.

Marcus took his first step out of the carriage and heard a drawling, delight voice sound out, "You _fainted_ , Potter? Is Longbottom telling the truth? You actually _fainted_?"

He saw Malfoy making quite the effort to block Harry's path to the stone steps of the castle. He could see the gleeful look on his face, the greaseball's pale eyes glinting maliciously.

He tried to walk past Malfoy, only for him to stick out his arm to stop him and said, "Is it true for you too, old man? Did you actually cry? What's the matter? Did someone precious to you die?"

Instantly, Marcus punched him as hard as he could in his side. He could feel at least two ribs breaking on contact.

Malfoy looked at him with utter rage, at which Marcus growled, "Tell anyone, and I'll take your head off your shoulders."

"Is there a problem?" said a mild voice. Marcus saw his uncle getting out of the next carriage.

Still holding his side, Malfoy gave Professor Lupin an insolent stare, no doubt to take in his uncle's rather less than seemly appearance. Marcus heard Malfoy say with a tiny hint of sarcasm in his voice, "Oh, no - er - _Professor_."

As he walked away with his cronies, Crabbe and Goyle, he suddenly felt normal again. He wasn't angry and he wasn't moody. He felt as if he never came across the Dementor.

"Well, let's get going," said Marcus with a smirk as the four of them hurried up the steps.

The door into the Great Hall stood open at the right; Marcus followed the crowd toward it, but had barely glimpsed the enchanted ceiling, which was black and cloudy tonight, when a voice called, "Potter! Granger! I want to see you both!"

Marcus looked behind him to find Professor McGonagall, the Transfiguration teacher, Head of Gryffindor house, and widely considered one of the strictest adults in Hogwarts. She most certainly looked the part, with her hair in a tight bun, her sharp eyes framed with square spectacles. Marcus felt especially lucky that she didn't call his name.

However, Marcus didn't take a single step before he heard, "Williams! Where do you think you're going?"

He turned to face her and said, "The Great Hall?"

"You're to go to Dumbledore's office immediately," said McGonagall. "He would like some lemon drops."

 _"The password hasn't changed, then,"_ thought Marcus as he said, "Yes, ma'am."

He made his way up the stairs and made his way to the ugly gargoyle statue until he stood in front of it and said, "Lemon Drop!"

He waited until the staircase stopped moving upward, then made his way up it, walked to the door, and knocked.

"Enter," said Dumbledore.

He entered to find Dumbledore sitting on his desk, his eyes closed, like he was lost in his own thoughts.

"You wanted to see me, Professor?" asked Marcus.

"Yes, Marcus," said Dumbledore. "Please, have a seat. This won't take long."

Once he took a seat, Dumbledore said, "Professor Lupin said that you were having a meltdown on the train due to a Dementor. Are you feeling okay?"

"I am now," said Marcus. "Before we arrived, however, I wasn't."

"I see," said Dumbledore. "I'm sure your parents told you how terrifying the powers of a Dementor are, did they not?"

"They told me the basics," stated Marcus. "But, there's a great difference between being told about it and actually experiencing it. Which reminds me, why did the Dementor affect me and Harry worse than the others?"

"Because you and Harry have experienced pain and suffering very few people in the world go through," stated Dumbledore. "To have to relive those memories is something many of us do not wish to go through."

"I was...able to remember...a small part of my fifth birthday," Marcus stated. "And my babysitter."

"Orielle Caldwater, yes?" said Dumbledore. Marcus nodded, and Dumbledore continued, "You really shouldn't blame yourself for what happened to her, Marcus. As I heard, she was an exceptionally gifted witch, a promising figure in the Wizarding World. But, we all know that very few magic folk would've been able to stop the Dark Prince, don't we?"

Marcus balled his hands into fists on his lap as he said, "Yes, that's true."

Dumbledore must've felt how tense he was, because he then said, "There's one last thing I need to discuss with you, Marcus. Please tell me how you came to have Blinky as your house-elf."

He then told him the entire story, from when he entered the forest to when he came back to the house with Blinky.

"I see," said the headmaster. "He is a hard-worker, but he will listen to you in the end. I ask that you do not deviate from his tasks here in the castle too much, Marcus."

"Yes, sir," said Marcus.

"You may return to the Great Hall," said Dumbledore.

Marcus made sure to book it to the Great Hall, where he found a seat between Hermione and Lorelei.

It took a few minutes, but eventually, Professor Dumbledore came into the Great Hall, the talking amongst the students dying down upon his entrance.

As soon as he reached his place at the High Table, he said, "Welcome! Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! I have a few things to say to you all, and as one of them is very serious, I think it best to get it out of the way before you become befuddled by our excellent feast..."

Dumbledore cleared his throat and continued, "As you will all be aware after their search of the Hogwarts Express, our school is presently playing host to some of the dementors of Azkaban, who are here on Ministry of Magic business."

Marcus pushed the Hogwarts Express event out of his mind as Dumbledore continued, "They are stationed at every entrance to the grounds and, while they are here with us, I must make it plain that nobody is to leave school without permission. Dementors are not to be fooled by tricks or disguises - not even Invisibility Cloaks or Disillusionment Charms," he added blandly.

Despite the gravity of the school's situation, Marcus couldn't help but think, _"I wonder if Dementors can be fooled by Animagi."_

"It is not in the nature of a dementor to understand pleading or excuses. I therefore warn each and every one of you to give them no reason to harm you. I look to the prefects, and our new Head Boy and Girl, to make sure that no student runs afoul of the dementors."

Marcus glimpsed at Percy, who was sitting a few seats down from him, puffing his chest out in obnoxious pride and felt rather annoyed.

Dumbledore took a few glances around the hall before continuing, "On a happier note, I am pleased to welcome two new teachers to our ranks this year. First, Professor Lupin, who has kindly consented to fill the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."

Marcus felt a great, big smirk on his face as he clapped hard and loud for his uncle, but he was one of the few that did. Everyone else didn't know what to make of him, with his shabby robes and weak-looking demeanor.

"Look at Snape!" Ron hissed to Harry and Marcus.

Marcus looked at the greasy git and was rather startled: Snape's thin, sallow face was unusually contorted. It was more than anger, it was loathing. It was common knowledge that Snape wanted the post, but there was more behind Snape's expression than Marcus could guess.

"As to our second new appointment," Dumbledore continued as the lukewarm applause for Professor Lupin died away. "Well, I am sorry to tell you that Professor Kettleburn, our Care of Magical Creatures teacher, retired at the end of last year in order to enjoy more time with his remaining limbs. However, I am delighted to say that his place will be filled by none other than Rubeus Hagrid, who has agreed to take on this teaching job in addition to his gamekeeping duties."

Marcus, Harry, Ron, and Hermione stared at one another, stunned. Of all the things that Marcus was prepared to hear, it most certainly wasn't that. But, it was good news to Marcus as he joined in the applause. Marcus could see Hagrid looking quite red in the face and staring down at his enormous hands, his wide grin hidden in the tangle of his black beard.

"We should've known!" Ron roared, pounding the table. "Who else would have assigned us a biting book?"

As the last of the clapping died away, Dumbledore said, "Well, I think that's everything of importance. Let the feast begin!"

Marcus got himself a couple of lean meats and some vegetables as he heard Lorelei say, "Marcus, are you sure you're all right?"

He looked at her concerning face and replied, "I got to take my anger out on Malfoy by breaking a couple of his ribs. So, at least right now, I'm good. So, in the morning, get ready to pick up where we left off."

"I've been looking forward to our workouts since the summer started," said Lorelei. "I can't wait to get better!"

Marcus and Lorelei didn't get a chance to talk after that, due to enjoying the feast. However, when the last morsels of pumpkin tart had melted from the golden platters, Dumbledore gave the word that it was time for them all to go to bed, and the four of them hurried to Hagrid.

"Congratulations, Hagrid!" Hermione squealed as they reached the teachers' table.

"All down ter you four," said Hagrid, wiping his shining face on his napkin as Marcus looked up at him. "Can' believe it...great man, Dumbledore...came straight down to me hut after Professor Kettleburn said he'd had enough...It's what I always wanted..."

Overcome with emotion, he buried his face in his napkin, and Professor McGonagall shooed them away.

As the four of them made their way up the countless stairs to Gryffindor Tower, Marcus was thourougly excited to be back. Despite what he had accomplished last year, he knew there were so many more things he could learn, that he could integrate into bettering himself. Before he realized it, he found himself looking at The Fat Lady, a rather interesting portrait of a large woman wearing a pink dress, who asked them, "Password?"

"Coming through, coming through!" Percy called from behind the crowd. "The new password's 'Fortuna Major'!"

"Oh, no," Marcus heard Neville Longbottom say in a sad tone. One of the things that Neville was notorious for was forgetting the passwords to enter the Gryffindor Tower.

Once in the common room, Marcus made his way up to the dormitory with Harry with its six four-poster beds. Marcus took a look around, looked at his left hand, and clenched it into a fist of determination as he thought, _"All right, Hogwarts! Bring it on!"_

 **And here ends another chapter of HP: Freedom's Path! As I mentioned, this will be the last chapter I post until I've caught up with my quota of my next project in this series! As long as I stay focused, I should get back to posting this installment within a week or two! Also, please feel free to leave a review as I'm always looking to improve! Another note: If you want to ask me any questions, please feel free to leave me a PM and, I promise, I will answer them to the best of my abilities! Until then, keep your eyes peeled for the next chapter of HP: Freedom's Path!**


	5. (05) Expecting the Unexpected

**Hello, one and all, and welcome (finally!) to another chapter of HP: Freedom's Path! Holy crap, I can't believe it took me this long to make any progress with my current project. Life has just been kicking my butt! However, I've made enough progress to the point where I feel comfortable posting again, so that's great! Hopefully, you amazing readers continue to read and review, as there is no greater feeling than someone taking the time out of their busy day to read something I've written. Oh, by the way...**

 **Disclaimer: Once again, I've failed to gain ownership of HP from J.K. Rowling, so no, I don't own it. I still own OC's, so I'll just grin and bear it until the next attempt.**

 **Without further ado, here's...**

Chapter 5: Expecting the Unexpected

 **Enjoy, one and all!**

After a good workout the following morning, Marcus entered the Great Hall with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. He knew the morning wasn't going to turn out so well, as the first thing he saw was Draco Malfoy, who seemed to be telling a funny story to a large crowd. As the four of them passed, Malfoy did a ridiculous impression of a swooning fit and there was a roar of laughter. It didn't take a genius to know that Malfoy was re-enacting Harry's encounter with the Dementor.

"Ignore him," Marcus heard Hermione tell Harry. "Just ignore him, it's not worth it..."

"Hey, Potter!" shrieked Pansy Parkinson, a Slytherin girl that had the face of a pug. "Potter! The dementors are coming, Potter! _Woooooooo!_ "

Marcus couldn't resist himself. He faced Parkinson and said, "Having to deal with a Dementor is not nearly as bad as having to look at your ugly face. You might want to go to Madam Pomfrey and see what she can do for you."

Marcus could hear laughter coming from the other House students, effectively shutting Parkinson right up. Marcus then sat next to Harry as he heard George say, "New third-year course schedules," as he passed them over. "What's up with you, Harry?"

"Malfoy," said Ron, sitting down on George's other side and glaring over at the Slytherin table.

George looked up to see what Malfoy was doing and calmly said, "That little git. He wasn't so cocky last night when the dementors were down at our end of the train. Came running into our compartment, didn't he, Fred?"

"Nearly wet himself," said Fred with a contemptuous glance at Malfoy.

"I wasn't too happy myself," said George. "They're horrible things, those dementors..."

"Sort of freeze your insides, don't they?" said Fred.

"You didn't pass out, though, did you?" said Harry in a low voice.

"Forget it, Harry," said George bracingly. "Dad had to go out to Azkaban one time, remember, Fred? And he said it was the worst place he'd ever been, he came back all weak and shaking...They suck the happiness out of a place, dementors. Most of the prisoners go mad in there."

Marcus knew what George said was true. His father had to make more than his fair share of Azkaban visits, each time forcing him to take some time out of his day just to recover from being there.

"Anyway, we'll see how happy Malfoy looks after our first Quidditch match," said Fred. "Gryffindor versus Slytherin, first game of the season, remember?"

This match was something that Marcus was looking forward to. Since he only got to play in one match the entire last school year, he was raring to go, and the fact that they would be playing against Slytherin made it all the better.

As Marcus was looking over his schedule, Hermione said happily, "Ooh, good, we're starting some new subjects today."

"Hermione," said Ron, who frowned upon seeing her schedule, "they've messed up your schedule. Look - they've got you down for about ten subjects a day. There isn't enough _time_."

"I'll manage," said Hermione in a confident manner. "I've fixed it all with Professor McGonagall."

"But look," said Ron, laughing, "see this morning? Nine o'clock, Divination. And underneath, nine o'clock, Muggle Studies. And" Ron leaned closer to the schedule in disbelief - " _look_ \- underneath that, Arithmancy, _nine o'clock_. I mean, I know you're good, Hermione, but no one's _that_ good. How're you supposed to be in three classes at once?"

Marcus looked at Hermione as Ron asked this. To his knowledge, the only way that any witch or wizard could be in multiple places at once was his father's Duplication Spell, and he knew that almost none of the seventh years he could recall were using that spell, let alone third year students.

"Don't be silly," said Hermione shortly. "Of course I won't be in three classes at once."

"Well, then -"

"Pass the marmalade," said Hermione.

"But -"

"Oh, Ron, what's it to you if my schedule's a bit full?" Hermione snapped. "I told you, I've fixed it all with Professor McGonagall."

Marcus' eyes narrowed at Hermione's statement. She was definitely hiding something, due to her being so eager to divert or get rid of the topic. But, it was not his place to go snooping into his friends' affairs unless needed, so he let it go.

At that moment, Hagrid entered the Great Hall, wearing his long moleskin overcoat and was absentmindedly swinging a dead polecat from one enormous hand.

"All righ'?" he said eagery, pausing on the way to the staff table. "Yer in my firs' ever lesson! Right after lunch! Bin up since five gettin' everythin' ready...Hope it's okay...Me, a teacher..hones'ly..."

He grinned broadly at them and headed off to the staff table, still swinging the polecat.

"Wonder what he's been getting ready?" said Ron, a note of anxiety in his voice.

"Something abnormal, to say the least," said Marcus, who felt just the same as Ron. "We'd better get going, guys. Divination's our first class, and it's at the top of North Tower."

They finished their breakfasts hastily, said good-bye to Fred and George, and walked back through the hall. Marcus had to endure seeing Malfoy do an exaggerated act of fainting before leaving it, something that annoyed him.

As they made their way to their first class, Marcus was looking forward to it less and less. He reasoned that he wouldn't get anything out of Divination that would be practical to use, which was a big waste of time.

"There's - got - to - be - a - shortcut," Ron panted as they climbed their seventh long staircase and emerged on an unfamiliar landing, where there was nothing but a large painting of a bare stretch of grass hanging on the stone wall.

"I think it's this way," said Hermione, peering down the empty passage to the right.

"That's not north, Hermione," said Marcus. "You can see part of the lake from outside the window."

All of a sudden, Marcus heard a voice say, "Aha! What villains are these, that trepass upon my private lands! Come to scorn at my fall, perchance? Draw, you knaves, you dogs!"

Marcus watched with utter disbelief and annoyance as a little knight tried to get his sword out of its scabbard and began brandishing it violently, hopping up and down in rage. But the sword was too long for him; a particularly wild swing made him overbalance, and he landed face down in the grass.

Marcus facepalmed as he thought, _"Does he not know that a man of his size should_ not _be wielding a two-handed sword without training?"_

"Are you all right?" said Harry, moving closer to the picture.

"Get back, you scurvy braggart! Back, you rogue!"

Marcus, having little patience with the man in the painting, said, "All right, we're looking for the North Tower. Can you help us?"

"A quest!" The knight's rage seemed to vanish instantly. He straightened himself and shouted, "Come follow me, dear friends, and we shall find our goal, or else shall perish bravely in the charge!"

He tried to sheath his sword, but managed to get it stuck in the ground. After failing miserably to pull it out, he tried to mount the pony in the painting, which was a waste of time. Eventually, he cried, "On foot then, good sirs and gentle lady! On! On!"

As he ran, clanking loudly throught the left side of the frame and out of sight, Marcus thought, _"There's no way this morning is going to be anything close to decent."_

Marcus led the way, hurrying after the rather crazy knight, until they managed to hear voices from above, indicating that they finally reached the classroom.

"Farewell!" cried the knight, popping his head into a painting of some sinister-looking monks. "Farewell, my comrades-in-arms! If ever you have need of noble heart and steely sinew, call upon Sir Cadogan!"

"Yeah, that's a no," said Marcus.

"We'll call you, all right," muttered Ron as the knight disappeared, "if we ever need someone mental."

Marcus climbed the last few steps and emerged onto a tiny landing, where most of the class was already assembled. There were no doors off this landing, but Ron nudged Marcus and pointed at the ceiling, where there was a circular trapdoor with a brass plaque on it.

"'Sibyll Trelawney, Divination teacher,'" Marcus read. "Well, now how are we supposed to get to our class if we're waiting below it?"

As though in answer to his question, the trapdoor suddenly opened, and a silvery ladder descended right at his feet. Everyone got real quiet.

"After you," said Ron, grinning. Marcus frowned before ascending the ladder.

Marcus emerged in what he thought was the strangest-looking classroom he had ever seen. In fact, it was about as far from being a classroom as it could get. It looked more like an attic and an old-fashioned tea shop collided violently. At least twenty small, circular tables were crammed inside it, all surrounded by chintz armchairs and fat little poufs. Everything was lit with a dim, crimson light; the curtains at the windows were all closed, and the many lamps were draped with dark red scarves. It was abnormally warm, and the fire that was burning under the crowded mantlepiece was giving off a heavy, sickly sort of perfume as it heated a large copper kettle, making Marcus feel a little bit drowsy. The shelves running around the circular walls were crammed with dusty-looking feathers, stubs of candles, many packs of tattered playing cards, countless silvery crystal balls, and a huge array of teacups.

Ron appeared at Marcus' shoulder as the class assembled around them, all talking in whispers.

"Where is she?" Ron said.

A voice came suddenly out of the shadows, a soft, misty sort of voice.

"Welcome," it said. "How nice to see you in the physical world at last."

Marcus did not feel that way in the slightest as Professor Trelawney moved into the firelight. She was very thin; her large glasses magnified her eyes to scary sizes, she was draped in a gauzy spangled shawl, and hanging around her neck was countless amounts of chains and beads, as well as her arms and hands plagued with bangles and rings.

"Sit, my children, sit," she said, all of the students climbing awkwardly into armchairs or sank onto poufs. Marcus, Harry, Ron, and Hermione made sure to sit at the same round table.

"Welcome to Divination," said Professor Trelawney, who had seated herself in a winged armchair in front of the fire. "My name is Professor Trelawney. You may not have seen me before. I find that descending too often into the hustle and bustle of the main school clouds my Inner Eye."

 _"More like you'd frighten half the students into hiding,"_ thought Marcus, not feeling pleased at all with his choice of classes.

"So you have chosen to study Divination, the most difficult of all magical arts. I must warn you at the outset that if you do not have the Sight, there is very little I will be able to teach you. Books can take you only so far in this field..."

 _"Well, at least she's honest,"_ Marcus thought as he took a side glance at Hermione, who looked startled by the fact that books were next to nothing in this class.

"Many witches and wizards, talented though they are in the area of loud bangs and smells and sudden disappearings, are yet unable to penetrate the veiled mysteries of the future," Professor Trelawney went on, her enormous, gleaming eyes moving from face to nervous face. "It is a Gift granted to few. You, boy," she said suddenly to Neville, who almost toppled off his pouf. "Is your grandmother well?"

"I think so," said Neville tremulously.

"I wouldn't be so sure if I were you, dear," said Professor Trelawney, the firelight glinting on her long emerald earrings. Marcus rolled his eyes as Neville gulped, Professor Trelawney continuing in a placid tone, "We will be covering the basic methods of Divination this year. The first term will be devoted to reading the tea leaves. Next term we shall progress to palmistry. By the way, my dear," she shot suddenly at Parvati Patil, "beware a red-haired man."

Marcus narrowed his eyes at Patil, who gave Ron a startled look and edged her chair away from him.

"In the second term," Professor Trelawney went on," we shall progress to the crystal ball - if we have finished with fire omens, that is. Unfortunately, classes will be disrupted in February by a nasty bout of flu. I myself will lose my voice. And around Easter, one of our number will leave us forever."

 _"Oh, great,"_ thought Marcus. _"Say random statements that sounds like predictions to put the class on edge. Way to set the mood, 'Professor'."_

"I wonder, dear," she said to Lavender Brown, who was nearest and shrank back in her chair, "if you could pass me the largest silver teapot?"

Lavender, looking relieved, stood up, took an enormous teapot the shelf, and put it down on the table in front of Professor Trelawney.

"Thank you, my dear. Incidentally, that thing you are dreading - it will happen on Friday the sixteenth of October."

Lavender trembled as Professor Trelawney explained, "Now, I want you all to divide into pairs. Collect a teacup from the shelf, come to me, and I will fill it. Then sit down and drink, drink until only the dregs remain. Swill these around the cup three times with the left hand, then turn the cup upside down on its saucer, wait for the last of the tea to drain away, then give your cup to your partner to read. You will interpret the patterns using pages five and six of _Unfogging the Future_. I shall move among you, helping and instructing. Oh, and dear" - she caught Neville by the arm as he made to stand up - "after you've broken your first cup, would you be so kind as to select one of the blue patterned ones? I'm rather attached to the pink."

To no surprise of Marcus, Neville had no sooner reached the shelf of teacups when there was a tinkle of breaking china. Professor Trelawney swept over to him holding a dustpan and brush and said, "One of the blue ones, then, dear, if you wouldn't mind...thank you..."

 _"An educated guess,"_ thought Marcus. Surely, even a teacher as isolated as her would've heard of Neville's clumsiness.

Marcus had partnered up with Harry, much to Ron's chagrin, and as they sat back down at their table, they made sure to drink the super hot tea as fast as they could. Marcus swilled the dregs around his teacup, the drained it and swapped over.

"Right, then," said Marcus as they both opened their books at pages fix and six. "What can you see in mine?"

"A load of soggy brown stuff," said Harry.

"Broaden your minds, my dears, and allow your eyes to see past the mundane!" Professor Trelawney cried through the gloom.

An idea suddenly clicked in Marcus' mind: He needed to master using his new level of vision enhancement, and this seemed like the perfect time to try. He reasoned that he might as well kill two birds with one stone, so to speak.

"Right, you've got a crooked sort of cross..." Harry said to Marcus, consulting _Unfogging the Future_. "That means you're going to have 'trials and suffering' - sorry about that - but there's a thing that could be the sun...hang on...that means 'great happiness'...so you're going to suffer but be very happy..."

"How can I possibly be happy if I'm going to suffer, Harry?" asked Marcus, sounding a bit disbelieving.

"Sounds like you need your Inner Eye tested, if you ask me, Harry," said Ron, and Marcus watched Harry and Ron stifling their laughter as Professor Trelawney gazed in their direction.

"All right, let's give this a go," said Marcus, who looked into Harry's cup and enhanced his vision.

What he saw startled him: A multitude of colored lines, each one different from the other. He had never seen anything like this before, which was saying something. There were a lot of things that were starting to take shape within the cup, and he didn't know where to start.

However, Marcus saw the first thing that a colored line took form of and said, "That's a falcon. You have a deadly enemy, Harry, but that's nothing new. Everyone knows that."

He slightly rotated the cup counterclockwise, which caused a different colored line to take shape, and Marcus stated, "The club. That represents an attack. Well, that's no surprise either. Trouble always manages to find us."

He could feel the gazes all around him, but he was too focused on the cup to care. He gave another slight counterclockwise rotation and said, "That's the lightning bolt, the skull, and the cleaved treasure chest. Well, it looks like you'll be attacked during a great storm by something dangerous and having a valued possession getting destroyed in the process. That's really rotten luck, Harry. Sorry about that."

He finally looked up and saw half the class with their mouths slightly agape, the other half looking at him in disbelief.

Professor Trelawney approached him from behind and took the cup from him. After rotating it a few times, she looked at him and said, "My dear boy, was that your first reading?"

Marcus returned his vision to normal, looked up, and said awkwardly, "Um, yes, ma'am."

"I knew it," said Professor Trelawney. "I forsaw an unusually gifted boy with the Sight starting Divination this year before the term started, but I hardly dared to believe it. Your aura is astounding, Williams. I see -"

But, what she saw, he never found out. At that moment, she looked back into Harry's cup, rotated it again, and gasped, followed by a scream.

There was another tinkle of breaking china; Neville had smashed his second cup. Professor Trelawney sank into a vacant armchair, her glittering hand at her heart and her eyes closed.

"My dear boy...my poor, dear boy...no...it is kinder not to say...no...don't ask me..."

What is it, Professor?" said Dean Thomas at once. Everyone had got to their feet, and slowly they crowded around the table, pressing close to Professor Trelawney's chair to get a good look at Harry's cup.

"My dear," Professor Trelawney's huge eyes opened a bit too dramatically, "you have the Grim."

"The what?" said Harry.

Marcus suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. He saw the Grim when he looked in Harry's cup, but he didn't believe in it. He felt like he was one of the few magic folks in the Wizarding World that thought this way, as everyone else went crazy with fear upon hearing about it or seeing one themselves. This mindset was a great part of why he didn't like Divination. He felt that his future was in his control and not left up to fate.

"The Grim, my dear, the Grim!" cried Professor Trelawney, who looked shocked that Harry hadn't understood. "The giant, spectral dog that haunts churchyards! My dear boy, it is an omen - the worst omen - of _death_!"

Marcus looked at Harry to see that he slightly blanched. This confused him, as Harry would have no real reason to take such a prediction seriously, not knowing enough about the Wizarding World to be affected by it.

Marcus then saw Hermione getting up and moving around to the back of Professor Trelawney's chair and said rather flatly, " _I_ don't think it looks like a Grim."

Professor Trelawney surveyed Hermione with mounting dislike, as if she looked like a homeless witch and stated, "You'll forgive me for saying so, my dear, but I perceive very little aura around you. Very little receptivity to the resonances of the future."

Seamus Finnigan was tilting his head from side to side before squinting his eyes and saying, "It looks like a Grim if you do this -" he then leaned his head to the left - "but it looks more like a donkey from here."

"When you've all finished decided whether I'm going to die or not!" said Harry, who obviously had enough.

"I think we will leave the lesson here for today," said Professor Trelawney in her mistiest voice. "Yes...please pack away your things..."

Silently the class took their teacups back to Professor Trelawney, packed their books, and closed their bags. Everyone but Marcus was avoiding Harry's eyes.

"Until we meet again," said Professor Trelawney faintly, "fair fortune be yours. Oh and dear" - she pointed at Neville - "you'll be late next time, so mind you work extra-hard to catch up."

Marcus, Harry, Ron, and Hermione descended Professor Trelawney's ladder and the winding stair in silence, then set off for Professor McGonagall's Transfiguration lesson. As they made their way there, Marcus felt utterly confused. He still didn't like Divination, but he couldn't deny that the information and predictions came easy to him. It was as if he already knew the necessary information off the top of his head, but he didn't know how. As he never took the subject seriously, he didn't do any extensive reading into it.

Regardless, Marcus found the trek from Divination to Transfiguration daunting. As early as they had left Professor Trelawney's class, they were barely on time.

Marcus sat next to Harry, which was in the back of the classroom, and he was sure that Harry chose that spot for one reason: To not bring attention to himself. It wasn't very effective, as the rest of the class was shooting furtive looks at Harry, like he was going to drop dead at any moment.

Marcus was looking forward to actually learning something, but was thoroughly disappointed when Professor McGonagall started lecturing the class about Animagi. It's not that it wasn't interesting, but it was something that he already accomplished, making the lesson redundant for him. The only thing interesting about her lecture was when she shifted into a tabby cat with spectacle markings around her eyes.

"Really, what has got into you all today?" said Professor McGonagall, shifting back into her normal self and staring around at the entire class. "Not that it matters, but that's the first time my transformation's not gotten applause from a class."

Everyone's attention went back to Harry, but nobody dared to speak. Then, finally, Hermione raised her hand.

"Please, Professor, we've just had our first Divination class, and we were reading the tea leaves, and -"

"Ah, of course," said Professor McGonagall, suddenly frowning. "There is no need to say any more, Miss Granger. Tell me, which of you will be dying this year?"

Marcus noted that she asked in such a way that it was no suprise to her.

"Me," said Harry finally.

"I see," said Professor McGonagall, fixing Harry with her beady eyes. "Then you should know, Potter, that Sibyll Trelawney has predicted the death of one student a year since she arrived at this school. None of them has died yet. Seeing death omens is her favorite way of greeting a new class. If it were not for the fact that I never speak ill of my colleagues -"

Professor McGonagall broke off, and Marcus saw her nostrils going white. She went on, more calmly, "Divination is one the most imprecise branches of magic. I shall not conceal from you that I have very little patience with it. True Seers are very rare, and Professor Trelawney -"

She stopped again, and then said, in a very matter-of-fact tone, "You look in excellent health to me, Potter, so you will excuse me if I don't let you off homework today. I assure you that if you die, you need not hand it in."

 _"Finally, someone who's able to get past that superstitious crap,"_ thought Marcus as he smirked while Hermione laughed.

When Transfiguration class had finished, they joined the crowd thundering toward the Great Hall for lunch.

"Ron, cheer up," said Hermione, pushing a dish of stew toward him. "You heard what Professor McGonagall said."

Ron spooned stew onto his plate and picked up his fork but didn't start.

"Harry," he said, in a low, serious voice, "you _haven't_ seen a great black dog anywhere, have you?"

Marcus wasn't really listening until Harry responded, "Yeah, I have. I saw one the night I left the Dursleys'."

He looked at Harry in realization. This was why he seemed a bit freaked out during his stay at the house and why he wasn't comfortable talking about it, when it was so fresh.

Ron let his fork fall with a clatter as Hermione calmly said, "Probably a stray."

Ron looked at Hermione as if she suddenly went mad and stated, "Hermione, if Harry's seen a Grim, that's - that's bad. My - my uncle Bilius saw one and - and he died twenty-four hours later!"

"Coincidence," said Hermione airily, pouring herself some pumpkin juice.

"You don't know what you're talking about!" said Ron, starting to get angry. "Grims scare the living daylight out of most wizards!"

"There you are, then," said Hermione in a superior tone. "They see the Grim and die of fright. The Grim's not an omen, it's the cause of death! And Harry's still with us because he's not stupid enough to see one and think, right, well, I'd better kick the bucket then!"

Marcus agreed wholeheartedly with Hermione's argument. Ron, however, did not, because he mouthed wordlessly while Hermione reached into her bag to take out her Arithmancy book, propping it open against the juice jug.

"I think Divination seems very woolly," she said, searching for her page. "A lot of guesswork, if you ask me."

"There was nothing woolly about the Grim in that cup!" said Ron hotly. "I bet even Marcus saw the Grim in that cup!"

"If he did, he knew just how ridiculous it was to believe in such an omen and omitted it on purpose," said Hermione coolly.

"Hey, don't get me involved with your little spat!" Marcus snapped. "Keep it between yourselves!"

Ron, who was obviously looking to Marcus for support, took a second to recover and said, "Professor Trelawney said you didn't have the right aura! You just don't like being bad at something for a change!"

Marcus groaned upon hearing that statement. Ron didn't just hit a nerve, he took a low blow to Hermione's pride, and it was quite evident, due to Hermione slamming her Arithmancy book down on the table so hard that bits of meat and carrot flew everywhere.

"If being good at Divination means I have to pretend to see death omens in a lump of tea leaves, I'm not sure I'll be studying it much longer! That lesson was absolute rubbish compared with my Arithmancy class!"

Marcus found himself very much confused. Hermione was with them the entire time, and Arithmancy was at the same time as Divination.

Ron must've felt the same way because he turned to Harry and Marcus and said, "What's she talking about? She hasn't been to an Arithmancy class yet."

* * *

Marcus was more than happy to get himself out of the castle after lunch. The rain that was coming down yesterday had cleared out, leaving the sky a clear, pale gray. The grass was springy and damp under his feet as he made his way to his first ever Care of Magical Creatures class.

Ron and Hermione were not speaking to each other, which wasn't any surprise to Marcus. He walked a little bit behind them and Harry, having his vision enhanced, trying to master his new level of said vision enhancement. He didn't see anything inverted like he did the first time it happened on the train, but he was still able to see the colored auras around his fellow students. He didn't know what any of the colors meant, but he knew he had to make sure to ask his mom the first chance he got. He almost got to Hagrid's Hut, on the edge of the Forbidden Forest when he saw something out of the corner of his eyes, making him stop in his place.

He looked to his right, a little ways behind Hagrid's cabin, and saw something odd: Nestled between the trees just a little bit inside the forest was a giant, black dog. Dogs were definitely not common amongst the wildlife in the Forbidden Forest, but that's not what struck him as odd.

The aura surrounding the dog was multi-colored while everyone else's aura had been one single color.

He squinted his eyes, and was utterly suprised to see his vision moving closer to the dog, like he was zooming in. Then, the color of the dog and its surroundings became inverted, and Marcus had to stifle his gasp.

There was a sillouette of a man, standing in the exact same place of the dog, both of which were facing away from him. How was it possible that two seperate creatures could exist within one body? Unless -

 _"I've got to come back after dark,"_ Marcus thought. _"I can't let this mystery go unsolved."_

He then noticed that he was falling behind, so he returned his vision to normal and hurried to everyone else.

Hagrid was waiting for his class at the door of his hut. He stood in his moleskin overcoat, with Fang the boarhound at his heels, looking impatient to start.

"C'mon, now, get a move on!" he called as the class approached. "Got a real treat for yeh today! Great lesson comin' up! Everyone here? Right, follow me!"

For a moment, Marcus thought that Hagrid was going to take the class straight into the Forbidden Forest. He didn't mind the edge of the forest or even part way into it, but he did not want to go too deep into there. Too many close calls for Marcus to care about. However, Hagrid strolled off around the edge of the trees, and five minutes later, they found themselves outside a kind of paddock. There was nothing in there.

"Everyone gather 'round the fence here!" he called. "That's it - make sure yeh can see - now, firs' thing yeh'll want ter do is open yer books -"

"How?" said the cold, drawling voice of Draco Malfoy.

"Eh?" said Hagrid.

"How do we open our books?" Malfoy repeated. He took out his copy of _The Monster Book of Monsters,_ which he had bound shut with a length of rope. Marcus saw that everyone had some way or method of keeping their copy closed tight. It seemed that none of them figured out how to open the book.

"Hasn' - hasn' anyone bin able ter open their books?" said Hagrid, looking crestfallen.

"I have, Hagrid," said Marcus, attempting to save Hagrid's morale. "Here, I'll show everyone how to do it."

"Oh, thank you, Marcus!" exclaimed Hagrid.

He faced the students, clamping the book shut with his right hand, and said, "To open the book, you need to calm it down. And the best way to calm it down is by doing this."

He then brought his middle and pointing fingers together and stroked the spine of the book, causing the book to shiver and then falling open, laying quiet in his right hand.

"Oh, how silly we've all been!" Malfoy sneered. "We should have _stroked_ them! Why didn't we guess!"

"I - I thought they were funny," Hagrid said uncertainly to Marcus.

"Oh, tremendously funny!" said Malfoy. "Really witty, giving us books that try and rip our hands off!"

"Maybe if _you_ had a brain, you could've figured it out," Marcus said in a condenscending tone. "But, I guess that's what happens when you let your pureblood supremist pride get in the way of actually being able to think."

Malfoy looked at him in utter rage, almost as if he would've murdered Marcus on the spot.

Hagrid must've sensed the amount of built-up tension, because he said, "Righ' then. So - so yeh've got yer books an' - an' - now yeh need the Magical Creatures. Yeah. So I'll go an' get 'em. Hang on..."

As Hagrid strode away from them into the forest and out of sight, Malfoy said loudly, "God, this place is going to the dogs. That oaf teaching classes, my father'll have a fit when I tell him -"

"If this place is going to the dogs, it's because they let complete and utter filth like you attend this school!" roared Marcus.

Malfoy got into Marcus' face and said, "Shut your mouth right now, blood traitor, or my father -"

Marcus didn't let him finish his sentence as he rocketed his right fist into the same ribs he cracked the other day, this time cracking most of Malfoy's left rib cage.

"Let me tell you something, Malfoy," said Marcus in a low, but deadly voice. "You've never been able to be on your own. You always have riches and cronies to save your ass. But, neither of them will save you when it comes to me. And, if you call your father, then I'll call mine, and we both know who'll win there."

Malfoy looked at him in deep and utter hatred. It was true, Marcus and Malfoy did not butt heads often. Malfoy was more so Harry's hated enemy than Marcus', and he ignored him nine times out of ten. Unlike Harry, however, Marcus knew how Malfoy thought and acted due to how he was raised and what he was raised to believe. Marcus didn't tolerate it one bit, so when Marcus and Malfoy _did_ butt heads, it was dangerous to even be in the same area as them.

However, the tension immediately died away when Lavender Brown said, "Oooooooh!"

Marcus turned to the paddock to find an unbelievable sight: A dozen creatures, half horse from the back end, but half eagle from the front end, including their wings, complete with steel-colored beaks, brilliantly orange eyes, and half-foot long talons.

 _"I don't believe it!"_ thought Marcus. _"Where in the world did Hagrid get his hands on hippogriffs?!"_

"Gee up, there!" he roared, shaking the chains and urging the creatures toward the fence where the class stood. Everyone drew back slightly as Hagrid reached them and tethered the creatures to the fence.

"Hippogriffs!" Hagrid roared happily, waving a hand at them. "Beau'iful, aren' they?"

Marcus was certainly in agreement. Their coats were splendid, each hippogriff having a separate color from the others, they way it flawlessly transistioned from feather to hair.

"So," said Hagrid, rubbing his hands together and beaming around, "if yeh wan' ter come a bit nearer -"

Marcus was the only one that got closer to the hippogriffs. Everyone else stayed rooted to where they were standing, and only his three friends followed suit.

"Now, firs' thing yeh gotta know abou' hippogriffs is, they're proud," said Hagrid. "Easily offended, hippogriffs are. Don't never insult one, 'cause it might be the last thing yeh do."

Marcus could hear Malfoy and his goons talking in undertone voices, obviously not listening to anything Hagrid was saying. He knew that they were planning on ruining his first lesson.

"Yeh always wait fer the hippogriff ter make the firs' move," Hagrid continued. "It's polite, see? Yeh walk toward him, and yeh bow, an' yeh wait. If he bows back, yeh're allowed ter touch him. If he doesn' bow, then get away from him sharpish, 'cause those talons hurt. Right - who wants ter go first?"

"I do," said Marcus immediately, rather eager for the challenge. It was not everyday that magic folk encountered a hippogriff, and he wasn't going to pass up on the opportunity.

As he climbed over the paddock fence, Hagrid roared, "Good man, Marcus! Right then - let's see how yeh get on with Buckbeak."

As Hagrid united one of the chains, Marcus had a strong feeling that he should be using his enhanced vision for this encounter. So, he did precisely that while Hagrid was pulling the gray hippogriff away from the others, slipping off its leather collar. The class on the other side of the paddock seemed to be holding its breath.

"Easy now, Marcus," said Hagrid quietly. "Yeh've got eye contact, now try not ter blink...Hippogriffs don' trust yeh if yeh blink too much...

Marcus continued to keep eye contact with the hippogriff named Buckbeak, who had turned his great, sharp head, staring at Marcus with one fierce orange eye.

Marcus immediately saw a different look in the hippogriff's eye. Was it fear? He wasn't sure. It happened for the briefest of a second.

"Tha's it," said Hagrid. "Tha's it, Marcus...now, bow..."

Marcus bowed and looked up at Buckbeak, who immediately bowed back. Marcus felt a little surprised. Surely, a creature as proud and fierce as a hippogriff wouldn't act like that for no reason. There had to be a reason unknown to him.

But, he didn't dwell on that thought as Hagrid said, estatic, "Well done, Marcus! Right - yeh can touch him! Pat his beak, go on!"

Marcus took careful steps towards Buckbeak before finally being within reaching distance. He slowly stroked the beak of the hippogriff and whispered, "No harm will come to you, Buckbeak. I will personally see to that."

The hippogriff closed his eyes lazily, looking like he was thouroughly enjoying it.

The class broke into applause, all except for Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, who were looking deeply disappointed.

"Righ' then, Marcus," said Hagrid. "I reckon he might' let yeh ride him!"

"Really?!" said Marcus, excited. This was more than Marcus bargained for, and in a good way.

"Of 'course," said Hagrid. "Yeh climb up there, jus' behind the wing joint. An' mind yeh don' pull any of his feathers out, he won' like that..."

Marcus mounted the hippogriff carefully, getting more and more excited at actually being able to fly on the back of a hippogriff.

Marcus wrapped his arms around the neck of the hippogriff just as Hagrid roared, "Go on, then!" slapping the hippogriff's hindquarters.

Buckbeak immediately soared upward, Marcus feeling the rush of wind flying by his face. Flying on a broomstick was more comfortable, but it still didn't stop Marcus from enjoying the experience. He gripped a little bit tighter around the neck of the hippogriff as Buckbeak went higher still.

Buckbeak only flew him around the paddock before he started to descend. This part, Marcus was a little iffy on. He wasn't sure how the landing was going to feel when the creature had two different set of feet. However, when Buckbeak landed, it was smoother than he thought and, when the hippogriff stopped, Marcus sat upright on the creature, feeling incredibly accomplished.

"Good work, Marcus!" roared Hagrid as everyone except Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle cheered. "Okay, who else wants a go?"

Emboldened by Marcus' success, the rest of the class climbed cautiously into the paddock. Hagrid untied the hippogriffs one by one, and soon people were bowing nervously, all over the paddock. Neville ran repeatedly backward from his, which didn't seem to want to bend its knees. Harry, Ron, and Hermione practiced on the chestnut while Marcus watched, standing next to Hagrid.

"Hagrid, this is an amazing lesson!" exclaimed Marcus. "You're doing fantastic!"

"Aw, thank yeh, Marcus," said Hagrid, blushing. "I was a bit nervous, but it looks like things are going all righ'."

Marcus then saw Malfoy and his goons working with Buckbeak, Malfoy stroking his beak.

 _"Oh, this isn't going to end well,"_ thought Marcus.

"This is very easy," Malfoy drawled, loud enough for Harry and Marcus to hear him. "I knew it must have been, if Williams could do it...I bet you're not dangerous at all, are you?" he said to the hippogriff. "Are you, you great ugly brute?"

It happened quicker than Marcus could even see it. A flash of steely talons came down on Malfoy, who let a high pitched scream. Before Marcus knew it, Hagrid was wrestling Buckbeak back into his collar as he strained to get at Malfoy, who lay curled in the grass, blood blossoming over his robes.

"I'm dying!" Malfoy yelled as the class panicked. "I'm dying, look at me! It's killed me!"

"Yer not dyin'!" said Hagrid, who had gone very white. "Someone help me - gotta get him outta here -"

Hermione ran to hold open the gate as Hagrid lifted Malfoy easily. As they passed, Marcus could see the long, deep gash that decorated Malfoy's arm; blood splattered the grass and Hagrid ran with him, up the slope toward the castle.

Marcus, feeling very disturbed and angry at Malfoy, followed the rest of the class back up to the castle. The Slytherins were all shouting about Hagrid.

"They should fire him straight away!" said Pansy Parkinson, who was in tears.

"It was Malfoy's fault!" snapped Dean Thomas. Crabbe and Goyle flexed their muscles threateningly, to which Marcus shot at them, "Oh, yeah, go ahead. Try to start something. I guarantee you that I'll finish it," causing the two goons to back down.

As they were climbing the stone steps into the deserted entrance hall, Pansy said, "I'm going to see if he's okay!" and ran up the marble staircase. The Slytherins, still muttering about Hagrid, headed away in the direction of their dungeon common room while Marcus, Harry, Ron, and Hermione proceeded upstairs to Gryffindor Tower.

"D'you think he'll be all right?" said Hermione nervously.

"'Course he will. Madam Pomfrey can mend cuts in about a second," said Harry.

"That was a really bad thing to happen in Hagrid's first class, though, wasn't it?" said Ron, looking worried. "Trust Malfoy to mess things up for him..."

Marcus didn't say a word, due to how angry he was. Hagrid had lined up a fantastic class, and Malfoy had to be the person that would deliberately mess things up. This was sure to take the wind out of Hagrid's sails, which further irritated Marcus.

The four of them were among the first to reach the Great Hall at dinnertime, hoping to see Hagrid, but he wasn't there.

"They _wouldn't_ fire him, would they?" said Hermione anxiously, not touching her steak-and-kidney pudding.

"They'd better not," said Ron, who wasn't eating either.

"Well, you can't say it wasn't an interesting first day back," said Ron gloomily.

Marcus knew that his time for his evening workout with Lorelei was drawing nearer, so he rushed up to Gryffindor Tower, changed into workout clothes, put the Disillusionment Charm on himself, and made his way to the Room of Requirement.

As he closed the door, he heard Lorelei say, "Well, Marcus, how was your first day of school?"

Marcus looked at her and said, "It was crazy. Too many weird things for me to even believe had happened."

"Like?" asked Lorelei.

Marcus then proceeded to tell her all the events that happened today and, by the time he was done, Lorelei said, "I never really like Mr. Malfoy. He acts tough and important, but he's just a big brat. And how were you able to do so well in Divination?"

"I used my vision enhancement just to try mastering it," said Marcus. "But, I don't know if it was just the room or what, but things just kept coming to me. I felt like I could've read events at least a few months ahead. But, I still can't recommend it to anyone. The teacher's a complete nut case."

"Well, in that case, I'll have to avoid taking that class next year," said Lorelei. "Anyway, shall we proceed with our workout and training."

"Of course," said Marcus with a smirk.

As the two of them progressed through the workout, Marcus definitely noticed a few things. One: That she was able to grasp spells much quicker than last year. Two: That her determination and willpower was much stronger. Last, but not least, she was having an easy time with Marcus' beginner's workout.

There was really only one thing she struggled with, and that was her Animagus training. Marcus knew that was going to happen, as it took him a year and a half to accomplish it, and that was with the Room of Requirement's help.

At the end of the workout, Marcus said, "Well, Lorelei, I think we need to make some changes."

"Oh?" said Lorelei. "What kind of changes?"

"Well, it's time that your physical workouts get pushed to the next stage," announced Marcus. "And you're going to train twice a day, once in the morning and once at evening. So, be ready to be in here 4:30 in the morning."

"Really?!" asked Lorelei in excitement. "Oh, thank you, Marcus!"

She hugged him in excitement, causing him to blush. The hug was quick, but Marcus took a deep breath and said, "For now, we've got to get cleaned up and get ready to get some sleep."

"All right, then," she said, who was smiling from hearing Marcus' announcement to her. "I'll be ready, Marcus, don't you worry!"

She cast the Disillusionment Charm on her and stepped out. As soon as she did that, Marcus focused on what he needed to do: Get showered, get dressed, and investigate the Forbidden Forest for that mysterious dog.

* * *

It took a while, but eventually, Marcus was on his down to the front doors in the entrance hall, having already rendered himself invisible. Around the first floor, Marcus saw Harry, Ron, and Hermione heading back upstairs.

 _"Looks like they went to Hagrid's to try and cheer him up,"_ thought Marcus, _"Sorry I can't be there, but I've got bigger fish to fry tonight."_

He went through the front doors as quietly as possible, then hurried his way to the Forbidden Forest until he was right on the edge.

He looked around multiple times before he rendered himself visible and said, "Well, time to do some searching."

He then shifted into Leo, his Animagus form, and entered the Forbidden Forest.

It was lucky that he had his Negative Vision in his Animagus form, because it was pitch black inside the forest. He was able to see every detail around him, but he couldn't see any wildlife, let alone the mysterious dog.

He ventured further and further, not seeing much of anything other than giant trees. Finally, after ten minutes of venturing around, he saw it.

In a clearing up ahead, around five hundred feet, lying on the ground and all curled up was the same dog he saw earlier in the day. He knew it was the same one because he saw the sillouette of the man curled up as well.

He approached the dog slowly and quietly, like he was stalking his prey. He didn't want the dog to hear him coming. It would take away the element of surprise.

The clearing that the dog was lying in was in a dip surrounded by a higher ledge. Leo crept up as close as he could to the ledge before hugging the ground. He wanted to observe for a little bit before confronting it.

There was something awfully familiar with the sillouetted figure, though he couldn't think of it immediately, due to his mindset being too simplistic while in his Animagus form. Then, it dawned on him, and that was the time he decided to confront it.

However, he messed up. He didn't take one step forward when he stepped on a twig, effectively snapping it, the sound echoing around the trees nearby.

At once, the dog woke up and looked straight at him, growling quite menacingly. He didn't think the dog would be quite as big as it actually was, standing around three to four feet and being at least three feet in length.

Marcus sent off warning roars, to try and let him know that he was not interested in a fight.

The dog continued to growl, indicating that his warnings didn't reach it, so he had no choice.

Marcus got into the clearing and started to pace in a circle opposite of the dog, trying to decide when he would strike. Unfortunately, he waited too long and the dog ended up making the first move.

The dog was unusually fast, leaving Marcus with very little reaction time. He dodged to the left, making the dog barely miss him, and proceeded to pin the dog down with his right paw.

The dog fought hard to try and get out from under him, but Marcus shifted his right front paw and placed his left front paw on the front legs, making the dog unable to go anywhere.

Marcus then roared loud and thunderous, trying to scare the dog into not getting so defensive.

However, there was something unusual about this animal, as it continued to growl at him, like it was egging him to finish it.

Marcus then shifted back to normal and said, "Enough of this! Cease this at once!"

The dog suddenly stopped growling, looking at him all confused.

Marcus stood up and said, "You can revert back to your normal self now...Sirius Black."

He watched as the dog stood on all fours, then started to shift. Two human legs, followed by a groin, torso, two arms, and lastly the head.

Marcus looked over the man that currently had the country ablaze with fear and reproach and couldn't help but pity him. It was clear that he had suffered the side effects of being a long-term prisoner in Azkaban. His body was deathly skinny, there were hardly any muscle on him, and his eyes were the worst. They had no light in them, like they were nothing but marbles.

"Before you say anything, I am Marcus Williams," he said.

Black's expression changed from confusion to surprise and realization as he said hoarsley, "Marcus? That's truly you?"

"Yes, it is," he said. "Just so we're on the same page, how do you know me?"

"I knew you from the day you were born," said Black. "It was such a happy day for Michael and Brynn when you were born, Marcus, that I don't think even you fully know. Though, when I saw you last, you had your mother's hair color. How did you -?"

Before Black could finish his question, Marcus summoned his wand, pointed it at Black, and said, "Know that this is merely a precaution. I have no intention of harming you right now."

Black nodded and Marcus continued, "Everyone believes that you're this mass murderer, that you're the reason Harry's parents were murdered by Voldemort, and that you're mad, not in your right mind. And, if I were anyone else, this would be the point where I'd drag you off to the castle. But, I believe they're wrong. Perhaps I'm not in my right mind, or perhaps I'm too curious, but I want to hear your side of the story. And, to do that, I'll be asking you a set of questions. What I hear from you will determine what my next action will be. My first question is this: How did you escape from Azkaban?"

"That's actually rather simple," said Sirius. "As you no doubt have realized, I'm an Animagus. I was waiting in Azkaban, focused on a thought that could not be taken away by the dementors. It's what kept me somewhat sane throughout my time at the prison. Then, I saw my opportunity. Deciding to take it, I shifted into my Animagus form. By that time, I was skinny enough where I could slip through the bars. Dementors aren't able to pick up on the emotions of animals nearly as well as humans, so they didn't notice. I jumped into the water and swam to shore, which nearly killed me, but I survived."

"In your cell, you kept muttering 'They're at Hogwarts...they're at Hogwarts'. Who are you looking for?"

"The first one will have to wait for a little bit," Black responded. "The second and final person, ironically, was you."

This caught Marcus well off guard. "Why were you looking for me?"

"I need some help," replied Sirius. "Your parents are in no position to help me now that they're Aurors, and I don't wish to jeapordize their livelihoods for the sake of mine. And then it dawned on me while traveling: I could go to Hogwarts and find you, plead for your help, in tracking down the person who's actually responsible for Harry's horrible past and getting me locked up in Azkaban. I knew that, if you were anything like your parents, you would at least hear me out, and I'm glad to see that I'm not wrong."

"Last question," stated Marcus. "What do you hope to gain by accomplishing your self-appointed task?"

"Freedom," said Black. "Like I alluded to before, I've been locked away for a crime that I didn't commit. Because of that, I've missed out on being there for you and for Harry. I've had to miss everything up till now, and I want to make that up to the both of you, in whatever way I can."

Marcus felt his wand hand slightly drop. He was using his enhanced vision the entire time, to try and see if he was lying. But, he didn't pick up on anything false. Every word he spoke was the truth. He heard Sirius Black, a man everyone thought to be cold and heartless, speaking from the heart, with genuine emotion behind every word.

Marcus took a deep breath and said, "I believe you."

He released his grip on his wand, having it shoot back up its sleeve, Sirius Black saying, "You mean, you'll help me?"

"Not so fast, Black," said Marcus. "I only know a little bit about you from what my parents told me over the summer. In fact, the only thing I know is that they made you my godfather. If you want me to help you, you have to tell me what you're trying to do."

"I'm trying to catch a rat," Black stated plainly.

"Come again?" said Marcus. "There are millions of rats in the world. How would you know which one you want to find?"

Sirius Black, in response, took out a newspaper and laid it on the ground, making sure the front page could be seen.

"Hold on," said Marcus, taking a closer look. "That's the article of Ron's family going to Egypt. What in the -" He then saw Ron and, in particular, his pet rat.

"You're after Scabbers?" he asked, looking at Black.

"So, that's his alias," muttered Black mostly to himself. He looked at Marcus and said, "Yes, I'm after Scabbers. If I can get my hands on Scabbers, I will be able to get my freedom."

"How is getting your hands on a pet rat going to ensure your freedom?" asked Marcus in a tone of disbelief.

"Before I answer that, did you happen to inherent your mother's ocular abilities?" Black asked him.

"Yes, I did."

"The next time you're able to get your hands on Scabbers, enhance your vision," explained Black. "Everything will make sense then."

"Fair enough," said Marcus as Black put the newspaper back in the inside of his clothes.

Marcus took a deep breath. He must've been insane himself. But, he wanted to do what was right, and having been framed and locked away in Azkaban was by no means right.

"I'll help you," Marcus stated.

Sirius Black gave a crooked smile, but his smile disappeared when Marcus continued, "However, if I find that you have not been honest with me, or that you're leading me on a wild goose chase, I will send the dementors after you, and I will ensure that they succeed in getting you."

Black chuckled and said, "You may look a lot like your mother, Marcus, but you remind me more of your father. He gave threats to me just like that while we were in school. Sent a shiver up my spine every time."

Marcus couldn't help but smirk as he continued, "I'll make sure you get a good amount of food every so often. But, you'll have to make it last, because I won't be able to come out to see you frequently. Also, you'll need to move closer to the Hogwarts grounds. I can't be spending fifteen minutes searching for you every time. Lastly, I want to get to know the godfather that's been missing from my life for the last twelve years. But, for now, I have to return up to the school. I'll come and see you soon, I promise."

Marcus then shifted into Leo and only looked back to see Black shifting into his Animagus form before bounding away, back to Hogwarts.

 **And this concludes another chapter of HP: Freedom's Path! Please feel free to leave a review, letting me know what you think about this story! Also, if you have any questions that you want answered, feel free to leave me a PM and, I promise, I will answer them to the best of my ability! Until then, keep your eyes peeled for the next chapter of HP: Freedom's Path!**


	6. (06) Facing the Past

**Hello again, ladies and gentleman, to the next chapter of HP: Freedom's Path! Thank you to all who read my work, as it inspires me to continue writing :) Not much else to say except...**

 **Disclaimer: No ownership of HP save for the OC's.**

 **Now, here's...**

Chapter 6: Facing The Past

 **Let's go!**

As Marcus finally managed to make it to his four-poster bed undetected, he just couldn't believe what happened. Here he was, a third year student, promising his long-lost godfather, Sirius Black, that he would help him when everyone else thought he should just be given over to the dementors. But, the words of Sirius Black, what he said to him, Marcus couldn't forget.

He wasn't sure how he was going to go about apprehending Scabbers, not when the rat in question was in hiding half the time from Crookshanks, nor did he have any idea what his godfather could've possibly meant when he said to use his vision enhancement on Scabbers. Surely, he was just a common garden rat. There couldn't have been anything special, right?

* * *

Despite agreeing to helping a wanted man, he still had to continue on with everyday tasks. For the next couple of days, he worked out and self-trained twice a day with Lorelei, he diligently did his homework, and he continued to think about ways to get his hands on Scabbers. However, nothing truly interesting happened until Thursday morning, when the Slytherins and Gryffindors were halfway through double Potions. Marcus was working on his in-class potion when Malfoy entered the dungeon room, swaggering, his right arm covered in bandages and bound up in a sling, acting as if he was a hero that survived a life threatening battle.

"How is it, Draco?" simpered Pansy Parkinson. "Does it hurt much?"

"Yeah," said Malfoy, putting on a brave sort of grimace.

He saw Malfoy winking at Crabbe and Goyle when Pansy looked away, leaving Marcus thinking, " _If that arm hurts him, it can't be nearly as bad as having half of his left rib cage broken,"_ causing him to smirk a bit.

"Setlle down, settle down," said Professor Snape idly.

Harry, Ron, and Marcus scowled at each other; Marcus knew that, if any one of them were to walk in late, they would've recieved detention quicker than blinking. However, like the rest of the Slytherins, Malfoy was always able to get away with anything in Snape's classes, as Snape was the head of Slytherin House and generally favored his own students above all others.

They were making a new potion today, a Shrinking Solution, which wasn't anything difficult for him. In fact, he was nearly done with it when Malfoy set up his cauldron right next to Harry and Ron so that they were preparing their ingredients on the same table. Marcus counted himself lucky that he chose a separate table from Harry and Ron, as he knew that, whatever Malfoy was about to do, it wasn't going to be anything good.

"Sir," Malfoy called, "sir, I'll need help cutting up these daisy roots, because of my arm -"

"Weasley, cut up Malfoy's roots for him," said Snape without looking up.

Marcus saw Ron's face going brick red as he turned to Malfoy and hissed, "There's nothing wrong with your arm."

He could also see Malfoy smirking at Ron as he stated, "Weasley, you heard Professor Snape; cut up these roots."

Marcus started to stir his potion, finishing it up, as he glanced another look at Ron, who seized his knife, pulled Malfoy's roots toward him, and began to chop them roughly, making the cuts different sizes.

"Professor," drawled Malfoy. "Weasley's mutilating my roots, sir."

Marcus focused back on his potion, ensuring he made the correct amount of clockwise stirs, as Snape approached their table, staring down his hooked nose at the roots. Snape gave Ron an unpleasant smile from beneath his long, greasy black hair as he stated, "Change roots with Malfoy, Weasley."

"But, sir -!"

Marcus knew this was coming. Snape was pulling the big bully card, which was pretty effective when sitting in a position of authority.

 _"Now,"_ said Snape in his most dangerous voice.

Marcus sighed as he continued to stir.

The problem only continued to get worse and Malfoy, his voice full of malicious laughter, said, "And, sir, I'll need this shrivelfig skinned."

"Potter, you can skin Malfoy's shrivelfig," said Snape, giving Harry the look of loathing he always reserved just for him.

Marcus watched as Mafloy started to talk to Harry and Ron, but what he was talking about, he couldn't hear. He knew that it was nothing good.

However, nothing was as bad as Neville's performance in Potions. It was by far his worst subject, easily falling apart on a regular basis during class, and the fact that he greatly feared Snape only made the problem a lot worse. Today, he was in a particular spot of trouble. Unlike his potion, which was a bright, acid green, Neville's potion was -

"Orange, Longbottom," said Snape, ladling some up and allowing it to splash back into the cauldron, so that everyone could see. "Orange. Tell me, boy, does anything penetrate that thick skull of yours? Didn't you hear me say, quite clearly, that only one rat spleen was needed? Didn't I state plainly that a dash of leech juice would suffice? What do I have to do to make you understand, Longbottom?"

 _"Maybe if you were a proper teacher instead of a great, big, bully of a git, Neville would actually retain something,"_ thought Marcus as his hands were balled into fists, shaking from anger.

Neville was pink and trembling. He looked as though he was on the verge of tears.

"Please, sir," said Hermione, "please, I could help Neville put it right -"

"I don't remember asking you to show off, Miss Granger," said Snape coldly, and Hermione went as pink as Neville. "Longbottom, at the end of this lesson we will feed a few drops of this potion to your toad and see what happens. Perhaps that will encourage you to do it properly."

Marcus then thought, _"Way to be such a bully, you greasy, overgrown brat!"_

To Marcus' surprise, Snape turned to look at him suddenly, dangerously narrowing his eyes. A scary thought occured to Marcus: Was Snape able to look into other people's minds? No, surely not. Not even a downright biased git like Snape would actually do that, right?

Marcus finished up his potion just as Snape called out, "You should have finished adding your ingredients by now; this potion needs to stew before it can be drunk, so clear away while it simmers and then we'll test Longbottom's..."

Marcus then got out a _Daily Prophet_ snippet, placing it so that Snape couldn't see it. On it was all the matchups that were to take place next weekend. Some of them he didn't care about, but he did care about the U.S. All-Stars, who were slated to go up against Japan first. Marcus silently scoffed as he knew that the U.S. All-Stars would blast Japan right out of the running. There were some teams that concerned him, the biggest of which was the Irish International Team. In Marcus' mind, they were the only team that could stop the U.S. Team from making it to the Quidditch World Final and, by the look of things, the U.S. wouldn't see them until the semi-finals, not until around Easter time.

He wrote down his predictions so that he would remember them when he wrote to Mr. Booker later today and, just as he finished writing down the last prediction, Snape strode over to Neville, who was cowering in fear.

Marcus quickly, but quietly stuffed the snippet back into his bag as Snape, his black eyes glittering, said, "Everyone gather 'round and watch what happens to Longbottom's toad. If he has managed to produce a Shrinking Solution, it will shrink into a tadpole. If, as I don't doubt, he has done it wrong, his toad is likely to be poisoned."

As the other Gryffindors watched fearfully, the Slytherins looking excited, Snape picked up Trevor the toad in his left hand and dipped a small spoon into Neville's potion, which was now green. He trickled a few drops down Trevor's throat.

There was a moment of hushed silence, in which Trevor gulped; then there was a small pop, and Trevor the tadpole was wriggling in Snape's palm.

The Gryffindors burst into applause...all except Marcus, who saw the sour look on Snape's face and knew what was going to happen. After pulling a small bottle from the pocket of his robes, pouring a few drops on top of Trevor and reverting it back to normal, Snape said, "Five points from Gryffindor. I told you not to help him, Miss Granger. Class dismissed."

Marcus, Harry, Ron, and Hermione climbed the steps to the entrance hall. Ron was still seething about Snape as he said, "Five points from Gryffindor because the potion was all right! Why didn't you lie, Hermione? You should've said Neville did it all by himself!"

Marcus looked to Hermione for her answer, but she was nowhere to be seen.

"Where is she?" asked Ron.

They were at the top of the steps, watching the rest of the class pass them, heading for the Great Hall and lunch.

"She was right behind us," said Ron, frowning.

"Yes, she was," said Marcus. "This is starting to not make any sense."

"Look, there she is," said Harry.

Marcus looked to the bottom of the stairs to find a slightly panting Hermione hurrying up the stairs; one hand clutched her bag, the other seemed to be tucking something down the front of her robes.

"How did you do that?"

"What?" said Hermione, joining them.

"What do you mean, 'what', " said Marcus stiffly. "One minute, you were right behind us. The next minute, you're back at the bottom of the stairs again."

"What?" Hermione looked slightly confused. "Oh - I had to go back for something. Oh no -"

A seam had split on Hermione's bag. This was expected as she crammed the bag with at least a dozen large and heavy books.

"Why are you carrying all these around with you?" Ron asked her.

"You know how many subjects I'm taking," said Hermione breathlessly. "Couldn't hold these for me, could you?"

Ron started turning over the books she handed him. Marcus took a look for himself, looked at Hermione, and said, "You do realize you're not actually taking any of these classes today, right? We've only got Defense Against the Dark Arts this afternoon."

"Oh yes," said Hermione vaguely, but she packed all the books back into her bag just the same. "I hope there's something good for lunch, I'm starving," she added, and she marched off toward the Great Hall.

"D'you get the feeling Hermione's not telling us something?" Ron asked Harry and Marcus.

"Yes, I definitely do," said Marcus, who was starting to worry about Hermione.

* * *

Marcus waited in the Defense Against the Dark Arts class room, eagerly awaiting for his uncle to arrive. The rest of the class took out their things and were talking amongst themselves when his uncle finally arrived. He smiled vaguely, placing his tatty old briefcase on the teacher's desk. He looked the same as before, except he must've had a few decent meals, due to looking healthier than before.

"Good afternoon," he said. "Would you please put all your books back in your bags. Today's will be a practical lesson. You will need only your wands."

 _"Now this is what I like,"_ thought Marcus. _"Nice start, Uncle Remus."_

A few curious looks were exchanged as the class put away their books. Unless the disastrous lesson with freshly caught Cornish Pixies last year counted, they never had a practical lesson before.

"Right then," said Professor Lupin, when everyone was ready. "If you'd follow me."

Marcus followed right behind his uncle, eager to see what he was going to teach the class. It was his first lesson, and Marcus wanted to make sure it was an astounding success. His uncle led them along the deserted corridor and around a corner, where the first thing they saw, to Marcus' utter chagrin, was Peeves the Poltergeist, who was floating upside down in midair and stuffing the nearest keyhole with chewing gum.

Peeves didn't look up until Professor Lupin was two feet away; then he wiggled his curly-toed feet and broke into song.

"Loony, loopy Lupin," Peeves sang. "Loony, loopy Lupin, loony, loopy Lupin -"

Rude and unmanageable as he almost always was, Peeves usually showed some respect toward the teachers, which was pissing Marcus off that he wasn't showing any to his uncle. Everyone looked quickly at Professor Lupin to see how he would take this; to their surprise, he was still smiling.

"I'd take that gum out of the keyhole if I were you, Peeves," he said pleasantly. "Mr. Filch won't be able to get in to his brooms."

Filch was the Hogwarts caretaker, a miserable, bad-tempered, and annoying Squib who waged a constant war against the students and, most especially, Peeves. However, Peeves paid no attention to Professor Lupin's words, except to blow a loud wet raspberry.

Professor Lupin gave a small sigh and took out his wand.

"This is a useful little spell," he told the class over his shoulder. "Please watch closely."

He raised the wand to shoulder height, said, _"Waddiwasi!"_ and pointed in at Peeves.

With the force of a bullet, the wad of chewing gum shot out of the keyhole and straight down Peeves's left nostril; he whirled upright and zoomed away, cursing.

"Cool, sir!" said Dean Thomas in amazement.

"Thank you, Dean," said Professor Lupin, putting his wand away again. "Shall we proceed?"

 _"I'll definitely have to remember that spell the next time Peeves pisses me off,"_ thought Marcus, thouroughly impressed.

They set off again. Marcus looked at the rest of the class, who was looking at their teacher with increased respect, causing Marcus to smirk.

Professor Lupin led them down a second corridor and stopped, right outside the staffroom door.

"Inside, please," said Professor Lupin, opening it and standing back.

The staffroom, a long, paneled room full of old, mismatched chairs, was empty except for one teacher. Professor Snape was sitting in a low armchair, and he looked around as the class filed in. His eyes were glittering and there was a nasty sneer playing around his mouth. As Professor Lupin came in and made to close the door behind him, Snape said, "Leave it open, Lupin. I'd rather not witness this."

He got to his feet and strode past the class, his black robes billowing behind him. At the doorway, he turned on his heel and said, "Possibly no one's warned you, Lupin, but this class contains Neville Longbottom. I would advise you not to entrust him with anything difficult. Not unless Miss Granger is hissing instructions in his ear."

Marcus felt absolutely enraged. It was bad enough that Snape had to be a giant git in his own class, but to do it in front of other teachers was unexcusable. However, he knew that his uncle could handle this.

Marcus looked to his uncle, who raised his eyebrows and said, "I was hoping that Neville would assist me with the first stage of the operation, and I am sure he will perform it admirably."

Snape's lips curled in response, but he left, shutting the door with a snap.

"Now, then," said Professor Lupin, beckoning the class toward the end of the room, where there was nothing but an old wardrobe where the teachers kept their spare robes. As his uncle went to stand next to it, the wardrobe gave a sudden wobble, banging off the wall.

"Nothing to worry about," said Professor Lupin calmly in reaction to a few people having jumped backward in alarm. "There's a boggart in there."

Marcus excitement grew at least five fold. He always wanted to face a boggart and, each time he had the chance to growing up, his parents would place him in a separate room so that they could deal with it. Since no one was going to stop him this time, Marcus was raring to go.

"Boggarts like dark, enclosed spaces," said his uncle. "Wardrobes, the gap beneath beds, the cupboards under sinks - I've even met one that had lodged itself in a grandfather clock. _This_ one moved in yesterday afternoon, and I asked the headmaster if the staff would leave it to give my third years some practice. So, the first question we must ask ourselves is, what _is_ a boggart?"

Hermione put up her hand and replied, "It's a shape-shifter. It can take the shape of whatever it thinks will frighten us most."

"Couldn't have put it better myself," said Professor Lupin, and Hermione glowed. "So the boggart sitting in the darkness within has not yet assumed a form. He does not yet know what will frighten the person on the other side of the door. Nobody knows what a boggart looks like when he is alone, but when I let him out, he will immediately become whatever each of us most fears."

Neville started to let out small sputters of terror, which his uncle chose to ingore as he continued, "This means that we have a huge advantage over the boggart before we begin. Have you spotted it, Harry?"

"Er - because there are so many of us, it won't know what shape it should be?"

"Precisely," said Professor Lupin. "It's always best to have company when you're dealing with a boggart. He becomes confused. Which should he become, a headless corpse or a flesh-eating slug? I once saw a boggart make that very mistake - tried to frighten two people at once and turned himself into half a slug. Not remotely frightening."

"The charm that repels a boggart is simple, yet it requires force of mind. You see, the thing that really finishes a boggart is _laughter_. What you need to do is force it to assume a shape that you find amusing. We will practice the charm without wands first. After me, please... _riddikulus_!"

 _"Riddikulus!"_ said the class together.

"Good," said Professor Lupin. "Very good. But that was the easy part, I'm afraid. You see, the word alone is not enough. And this is where you come in, Neville."

Marcus saw the wardrobe shaking again, but not nearly as much as Neville, who walked forward as if he was going to his death.

"Right, Neville," said Professor Lupin. "First things first: what would you say is the thing that frightens you most in the world?"

Neville's lips moved, but no noise came out.

"Didn't catch that, Neville, sorry," said Professor Lupin cheerfully.

Neville looked around rather wildly, as though begging someone to help him, then said, in barely more than a whisper, "Professor Snape."

Marcus smirked greatly while everyone else laughed. Even Neville grinned apologetically. Professor Lupin, however, looked thoughtful.

"Professor Snape...hmmm...Neville, I believe you live with your grandmother?"

"Er - yes," said Neville nervously. "But - I don't want the boggart to turn into her either."

"No, no, you misunderstand me," said Professor Lupin, now smiling. "I wonder, could you tell us what sort of clothes your grandmother usually wears?"

Neville looked surprised by this question, but said, "Well...always the same hat. A tall one with a stuffed vulture on top. And a long dress...green, normally...and sometimes a fox-fur scarf."

"And a handbag?" prompted Professor Lupin.

"A big red one," said Neville.

"Right then," said Professor Lupin. "Can you picture those clothes very clearly, Neville? Can you see them in your mind's eye?"

"Yes," said Neville uncertainly, plainy wondering what was coming next.

"When the boggart bursts out of this wardrobe, Neville, and sees you, it will assume the form of Professor Snape," said Uncle Remus. "And you will raise your wand - thus - and cry _'Riddikulus'_ \- and concentrate hard on your grandmother's clothes. If all goes well, Professor Boggart Snape will be forced into that vulture-topped, hat, and that green dress, with that big red handbag."

Marcus had to force himself not to laugh at the thought of Snape being dressed up in something so ridiculous. The rest of the class, however, shouting greatly with laughter, making the wardrobe wobble more violently.

"If Neville is successful, the boggart is likely to shift his attention to each of us in turn," said Professor Lupin. "I would like all of you to take a moment now to think of the thing that scares you most, and imagine how you might force it to look comical..."

Marcus found himself stumped at this one. The only thing he could possibly think of was a dementor, but he wasn't afraid of it, per se. He was only scared about the effects it caused, and that wasn't much to go on against a boggart. How can you physically combat something that can't even take physical form?

Marcus could hear Ron muttering, "Take its legs off." It was no surprise that Ron's greatest fear was spiders.

"Everyone ready?" said Professor Lupin.

Marcus steeled himself. He reasoned that he would be quick to improvise and counterstrike when it was his turn. He didn't do all of his self-training for nothing, after all.

Everyone nodded and rolled up their sleeves, Marcus summoning his wand and gripping it as his uncle said, "Neville, we're going to back away. Let you have a clear field, all right? I'll call the next person forward...Everyone back, now, so Neville can get a clear shot -"

Marcus backed himself to the walls with everyone else, leaving Neville alone beside the wardrobe. He looked pale and certainly frightened, but he had pushed up the sleeves of his robes and was holding his wand ready.

"On the count of three, Neville," said Professor Lupin, who was pointing his own wand at the handle of the wardrobe. "One - two - three - _now_!"

A jet of sparks shot from the end of Professor Lupin's wand and hit the doorknob. The wardrobe burst open. Hook-nosed and menacing, Professor Snape stepped out, his eyes flashing at Neville.

Neville backed away, his wand up, mouthing wordlessly. Snape was bearing down upon him, reaching inside his robes.

 _"R - r - riddikulus!"_ squeaked Neville.

There was a noise like a whip crack. Snape stumbled; he was wearing a long, lace-trimmed dress and a towering hat topped with a moth-eaten vulture, and he was swinging a huge crimson handbag.

Marcus kept his right hand clasped over his mouth, using every bit of his willpower to retain his bearing. This was easily the funniest thing he'd seen in a long time, and it only made it better that it was the form of Snape being subjected to it.

The rest of the class thought the same as they roared with laughter; the boggart paused, confused, and Professor Lupin shouted, "Parvati! Forward!"

Parvati walked forward, her face set. Snape rounded on her. There was another crack, and where he had stood was a blood-stained mummy; it sightless face was turned to Parvati and it began to walk toward her very slowly, draggin its feet, its stiff arms rising -

 _"Riddikulus!"_ cried Parvati.

A bandage unraveled at the mummy's feet; it became entangled, fell face forward, and its head rolled off.

"Seamus!" roared Professor Lupin.

Seamus darted past Parvati.

 _Crack!_ Where the mummy had been was a woman with floor-length black hair and a skeletal, green-tinged face - a banshee. She opened her mouth wide and an unearthly sound filled the room, a long, wailing shriek that made the hair on Marcus' head stand on end -

 _"Riddikulus!"_ shouted Seamus.

The banshee made a rasping noise and clutched her throat; her voice was gone.

Marcus watched as the banshee turned into a rat, which chased it tail in a circle; then - _crack!_ \- becoming a single, bloody eyeball.

"It's confused!" shouted Lupin. "We're getting there! Dean!"

Dean hurried forward.

 _Crack!_ The eyeball became a severed hand, which flipped over and began to creep along the floor like a crab.

 _"Riddikulus!"_ yelled Dean.

There was a snap, and the hand was trapped in a mousetrap.

"Excellent! Ron, you next!"

Ron leapt forward.

 _Crack!_

Marcus had to edge himself back a bit while a few people screamed. A giant spider, six feet tall and covered in hair, was advancing on Ron, clicking its pincers menacingly. For a moment, Marcus thought Ron had frozen up. Then -

 _"Riddikulus!"_ bellowed Ron, and the spider's legs vanished; it rolled over and over; Lavender Brown squealed and ran out of its way and it came to a halt at Harry's feet. Harry raised his wand, ready, but -

"Here!" shouted Professor Lupin suddenly, hurrying forward.

 _Crack!_

The legless spider had vanished. For a second, everyone looked wildly around to see where it was. Then they saw a silvery-white orb hanging in the air in front of Lupin, who said, _"Riddikulus!"_ rather lazily.

 _Crack!_

"Forward, Marcus, and finish him off!" said Professor Lupin as the boggart landed on the floor as a cockroach.

Marcus darted forward, his chance had finally arrived. He raised his wand head-level, his left foot was planted in front of him, his right arm raised above him in an arc, ready for the boggart. Marcus could vaguely hear the fervent whispers behind him, his classmates no doubt wondering what form the boggart would take in front of Marcus, who seemed to be fearless. Marcus was very confident that, whatever form the boggart would take, he'd be able to deal with it immediately.

Which vanished the moment the boggart took form, along with any amount of reason.

 _Crack!_

Standing in front of him, around six feet seven inches, with straight hair, slightly curving bangs and red eyes, an evil smirk on his face, wearing a black suit with a white tie and a black cloak over the suit stood the Dark Prince.

Nearly everyone screamed in horror. Marcus forgot everything, even that it was simply no more than a boggart, and replacing it was anger, far more than he felt in a long while.

He then heard the Dark Prince say in a semi-deep, confident voice, "It's been a long time, Marcus Williams. I'm glad we've had the chance to meet again. You've made quite a bit of progress over the years. But, enough of the pleasantries."

The Dark Prince's wand appeared in the left hand, a lion fang in the right hand, and the Dark Prince stated, "Let's pick up where we last left off, shall we?"

"WITH PLEASURE!" roared Marcus. His wand shot back up his left sleeve one second and, the next second, Marcus found his right hand gripping his enemy's throat, smashing him into the floor.

Marcus didn't hear anything else but the sound of his fists hitting his enemy. He had only one goal, and that was to kill him. The Dark Prince fought back, slamming Marcus into objects and walls just as much as Marcus was. Marcus couldn't stop, he wouldn't stop. Nothing would deny him the opportunity to end it once and for all.

All of a sudden, out of nowhere, a different arm, holding a wand, came into view. No words were spoken, but Marcus found himself being blasted back into a wall. He got back onto his feet and saw that Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall were in the room with Professor Lupin, looking at him with a mixture of fear and apprehension.

He looked around for the Dark Prince, seeing the colored auras surrounding the teachers and classmates. He didn't know when he enhanced his vision, but that didn't matter. All that mattered was finding the Dark Prince and ending his life.

"THAT'S ENOUGH, WILLIAMS!" roared Professor McGonagall, which terrified Marcus enough to come back to his senses. He returned his vision to normal and had a good look around him.

The staffroom was an absolute wreck. Nearly everything in it was broken or destroyed, and there were numerous craters in the walls, all except for the one his classmates were leaning against. He looked at his classmates for a second or two and saw all of them had looks of fright and terror. He couldn't bare to look at them, so his focus instead went to Dumbledore, who looked furious, and Professor McGonagall, whose lips were very thin.

"Professor Lupin, please escort the rest of the class out of the room and send them on their way," Professor McGonagall stated. "Then, come back in here. Williams, stay where you are."

Marcus went from dazed to depressed. He had lost control, and he knew it. It was just a boggart, that's all it was. Why did he lose control like that?

The two professors waited until his uncle returned into the room before Professor McGonagall said, "Explain yourself, Williams, now."

"I don't know what happened," said Marcus. "The boggart took the form of the Dark Prince, and I blanked out, I snapped. I don't know what took me over."

"Marcus," said his uncle. "Were you thinking of the Dark Prince before you stepped forward to deal with the boggart?"

"No, I wasn't," replied Marcus. "I don't understand why the boggart took that form."

Professor Dumbledore, who had calmed down, said, "Then it must be a fear that is strong enough for the boggart to sense it, even if that fear is buried deep within your mind, surrounded by other emotions."

"Thirty points will be taken from Gryffindor for your inability to control yourself, Williams," said Professor McGonagall. "I expect better restraint from you in the future."

Once Professor McGonagall and Professor Dumbledore left the staffroom, Marcus buried his face in his hands, himself being on the verge of tears.

"Marcus, it'll be all right," said his uncle.

"I'm sorry, Uncle Remus," said Marcus, talking through his hands, still on the verge of crying. "I wanted your first lesson with me and my classmates to be outstanding, and I absolutely ruined it for you! I thought I could take on the boggart."

"The fault lies with me, Marcus," said his uncle. "Your parents told me in advance not to have you go up against a boggart, but I did not heed their advice. I thought you would be able to do it, too. Look at me, Marcus."

Marcus let his hands fall to his side, his eyes watering, and looked to his uncle as he said, "Tonight, you'll come to my classroom and try again. We'll take it nice and slow until you're able to take on a boggart without losing control, all right?"

"Yes, Uncle Remus," said Marcus, who wiped away the tears.

"Get some dinner, and come to my classroom at nine o'clock," said his uncle. Marcus nodded and left the staffroom.

* * *

As he was eating his dinner alone in the Great Hall, talk of Marcus' brawl with Boggart Dark Prince ran rampant through the school. The couple of times he glanced around him, he saw the student's faces and felt embarrassed. Some looked at him with awe, others in apprehension.

"Marcus, there you are," said what Marcus knew to be Hermione.

Hermione sat next to him while Harry and Ron sat directly opposite him.

"Oh, hello," said Marcus indifferently. "I thought you guys would be up in the common room."

"We wanted to talk to you, Marcus," said Ron.

"About what?"

"Who that was," said Harry.

"Oh, that's right, you wouldn't know, Harry," said Marcus, not happy about where this was going. "The form you saw the boggart take when it was my turn, _that_ was the Dark Prince, Voldemort's strongest ally. He was the one responsible for killing my babysitter on my fifth birthday and mutilating my torso with a lion fang."

" _That_ was the Dark Prince?" Hermione said in horror. "No wonder people are talking about it. I felt terrified just seeing it."

"What are you talking about?" asked Marcus.

"Everyone's saying how frightening the thought of the Dark Prince being free was," said Ron. "I don't blame them. Dad told me stories about him that gave me nightmares for weeks."

"And what're they saying about me," asked Marcus before muttering, "Nothing good, I'd bet."

"If you really must know, Marcus, everyone's saying how impressive it was that you took him on without hesitation," Hermione coolly replied.

"What do they know?" said Marcus, his words filled with venemous anger. "I was too weak to even face a boggart properly, I was too weak to stop the Dark Prince from killing my babysitter, and if I continue like this, I won't be strong enough to kill him when I finally do get the chance!"

"Marcus!" Hermione said, covering her mouth in horror. "Surely, you wouldn't -"

"I consider each and every day to be a waste if I don't at least come up or refine a way to kill that bastard," stated Marcus. "And I won't stop until I personally end him. I've got to get to training before I see my uncle for a remedial lesson, so I'll see you all later."

Marcus then got up and left, not looking back.

* * *

Training that evening with Lorelei was awkward, to say the least. Marcus neither felt happy or proud, as he usually did when doing his training with his training partner. He felt weak, he felt pathetic. What did he have to do to get past this and make himself stronger?

After they finished their self-training, Lorelei asked, "Marcus, is there something wrong?"

Marcus suppressed his anger as he calmly stated, "No, there's nothing wrong. You did great today, Lorelei. I can see you improving with each training session. I'm sorry, but I have to be somewhere right now. Please excuse me."

He couldn't bare to look at her face the most. The look of confusion and concern really bothered him. He didn't want her to see him like this. He would give anything for her not to see him the way he was now. He made his way to the dormitory, hopped into the shower, changed into his normal clothes, and proceeded to make his way to his uncle's classroom.

He arrived in the classroom and heard, "Ah, there you are! Are you ready, Marcus?"

"I am," said Marcus as he looked at his uncle and a familiar looking wardrobe.

"Is that the same one from the staffroom?" asked Marcus.

"It is," said his uncle. "Obviously, we were unable to destroy it, so now we'll make sure to do in this attempt."

"But, it's just the two of us," said Marcus. "That won't be very effective to destroy a boggart."

"You're right, it won't," said Uncle Remus. "Which is why I asked for some helpers."

Marcus was confused until he heard the door open and turned around to see -

"Harry!" exclaimed Marcus. "Ron, Hermione! What are you all doing here?"

"Professor Lupin wanted us to help you tackle the boggart properly," Hermione stated.

"Plus, we're here for you, mate," said Ron.

"Always have and always will be," said Harry, smiling.

Marcus started to feel emotional as he choked, "Thanks, you guys. You don't know how much this means to me."

"Well, hold on there, Marcus," said Professor Lupin. "I believe there's at least one more who feels the same."

"What?" said Marcus stupidly.

Professor Lupin then looked at the entrance door and said, "There's no need to hide among friends, Miss Flamel. Please, come join us."

Marcus' eyes grew wide as he looked to the door and, sure enough, Lorelei was starting to become visible, saying, "What gave me away, Professor Lupin?"

"The door slightly moved," said Uncle Remus. "I must say, that is an impressive use of the Disillusionment Charm, and for someone as young as you to use it, Miss Flamel, is even more so. Tell me, how did you learn to use it?"

Lorelei walked towards them as she replied, "Marcus taught me to use it. Said it would come in handy."

Marcus felt his face getting hot, saying, "Let's begin this remedial lesson, shall we?"

"Yes, yes, of course," said Professor Lupin. "But, first, Miss Flamel, do you know how to deal with a boggart?"

"I researched it in the library earlier today, Professor," said Lorelei. "I know the charm to repel it and what I must do to make it successful."

"Don't worry, she'll most likely do better than me or my friends," Marcus said, causing Lorelei to blush.

"Well, we shall soon see," Professor Lupin said with a smile. "Marcus, you'll go first." He then looked to everyone else and said, "Remember, this is for Marcus. So, Marcus will go every other time, and I'll call out the person who'll take on the boggart."

Everyone nodded their heads, the others stepping back, giving Marcus plenty of room. He already had his wand out, getting into the same stance he had during the lesson.

"Do it," said Marcus.

His uncle nodded and opened the doorknob, and the Dark Prince came out of it, with the same attire and same evil smirk he had before.

He immediately wanted to hit the boggart, but he breathed deeply, trying to retain a sense of rythem to maintain his reason. It was just a boggart, it didn't matter what form it took.

The Dark Prince raised his wand when Marcus bellowed, _"Riddikulus!"_

The hem of his cloak came under his feet, which the boggart stepped on, causing him to land on his face.

"Excellent, Marcus!" said Professor Lupin. "Ron, your turn!"

Ron stepped forward while Marcus leaped back. He saw the boggart take the shape of a giant spider like before, but Ron said the charm, and the legs were immediately gone.

Marcus stepped forward again, this time focusing on something different. He didn't want the boggart to take the same shape again. That would've been too easy. Instead, he focused on something else that had scared him at one point or another.

The boggart shifted around until he took the form of a smaller version of the Basilisk, the creature that gripped Marcus with fear during the second half of last school year.

He didn't even hesitate as he yelled, _"Riddikulus!"_

The boggart Basilisk suddenly found himself without fangs or eyes, rolling around on the ground.

Harry went next. Marcus saw the boggart form into a dementor, which surprised him. He thought for sure that it was going to assume the form of a revived Voldemort.

Harry hesitated for a second saying, _"Riddikulus!"_

The dementor tripped on its robe, falling down onto his back.

Marcus went forward again. This time, the boggart took the form of Fluffy, Hagrid's Cerberian Hound that guarded the Sorcerer's Stone his first year at Hogwarts. All three heads growled menacingly at him, looking to attack.

 _"Riddikulus!"_ yelled Marcus.

The Cerberian Hound then started to chase its tail, running round and round into a circle.

Hermione stepped forward; the boggart assumed the form of Professor McGonagall, saying, "Miss Granger, I regret to inform you that you've failed all your subjects."

Hermione froze for a moment, then regained herself and said, _"Riddikulus!"_

Professor Boggart McGonagall somehow pulled an award out of nowhere and tried to give it to Hermione. Marcus could see that the boggart was starting to get confused.

Marcus stepped forward once again. This time, the boggart took the form of the Mirror of Erised, trying to show him the same awful things it showed him during his first year.

 _"Riddikulus!"_ said Marcus, starting to get very confident.

The mirror suddenly stretched and wiggled, making Marcus look all stretched or deformed.

Lorelei stepped forward. Marcus was very interested to see what form the boggart would take with her.

It surprised him what he saw. The boggart took the form of a humanoid with a cruel-beaked bird head, long scaly wings coming from its shoulders. It looked sort of freaky, but Marcus didn't know how this would terrify Lorelei.

His training partner didn't miss a beat, regardless. She cried, _"Riddikulus!"_ and the creature turned into a colorful parrot, squawking it's head off.

"Marcus, the time has come!" shouted Uncle Remus. "Finish it off!"

Marcus stepped forward, thinking of the only thing that could possibly scare him at this point.

The boggart took the form of a dementor reaching out to grab his throat.

 _"Riddikulus!"_ cried Marcus.

The dementor's hood was lowered to show a clown head with a goofy smile.

"Ha!" cried Marcus.

The boggart then exploded, turning into tiny wisps of smoke, and it was gone.

"Well done, Marcus!" said Uncle Remus. "Do you realize what was wrong before?"

Marcus shook his head, to which his uncle stated, "Up until now, you've had no way to deal with the things that affected you psychologically. That's why your parents never let you be in the presence of something that could affect you in such a way. By being able to confront your fears, the only thing you have left to fear is fear itself."

"That makes complete sense," said Marcus. He knew that he was never good at handling things of that nature, and he had a feeling he wouldn't ever truly be able to. But, at least he had a way of confronting it, to accept it and move on.

"I believe this concludes your remedial lesson, Marcus," said Uncle Remus, smiling. "Let's see here...five points each for your friends for helping you and ten points for successfully taking care of the boggart. You're all free to go."

As the five of them went to Gryffindor Tower, Marcus knew that he had one last thing to do, and he needed some help to do it.

* * *

He waited until everyone was gone from the common room, made sure no one was listening from above, and said, "Blinky."

 _Crack!_

His house-elf had appeared at his side, saying, "What can Blinky do for you, Master?"

"Blinky, I need you to gather a week's worth of food into a container that can hold it all," said Marcus. "Make sure that there's cooked meat and vegetables in there. No elaborate meals. Once you complete this task, come back to me with the container in hand."

"Yes, Master," said Blinky, who disappeared.

Marcus didn't have to wait too long. In about fifteen minutes, Blinky came back with an incredibly huge basket and said, "Here you are, Master. Does Master have anything else Blinky can do?"

"Not at the moment," said Marcus. "By the way, Blinky, how are you liking it here at Hogwarts?"

"Blinky is getting along well with the other house-elves in the castle, sir," Blinky stated. "Blinky is in the kitchen most of the time, but Blinky also cleans the different rooms in Hogwarts, as well."

"I'll be sure to visit you sometime, Blinky," said Marcus, smirking. "Keep up the good work."

Blinky bowed before disappearing.

Marcus then rendered himself and the basket of food invisible and said, "Now to meet my godfather," making his way out of the common room and to the Forbidden Forest.

 **This concludes another chapter of HP: Freedom's Path! Please feel free to leave a review, telling me your thoughts on the story. Also, if you have any questions for me, feel free to leave me a PM and, I promise, I will do my best to answer them! Until then, keep your eyes open for the next chapter of HP: Freedom's Path!**


	7. (07) A Snag In the Plan

**Hello, ladies and gentleman, and welcome to another chapter of HP: Freedom's Path! Since I'm making a lot of progress, I've decided to post another chapter, simple as that. Thank you all for reading, as it makes me happy that you've taken time out of your day to do so :) Finally...**

 **Disclaimer: No HP ownership in sight, save for OC's.**

 **Now, here's...**

Chapter 7: A Snag In The Plan

 **Enjoy! :D**

Marcus didn't get back to his four-poster bed until around midnight, due to having talked to his godfather, Sirius Black, for so long. It was quite enjoyable, with his godfather having so much to say, so much to tell him. He knew that he didn't know him well enough yet, but he did know that, with each time he would be visiting him, he would be able to trust him more and more.

Marcus was quite relieved to hear that, over the weeks, that Defense Against the Dark Arts became the favorite class of most of the students, despite the stunt he pulled in his first class. The only people that had anything bad to say about his uncle were Draco Malfoy and his gang of Slytherins, but that was no surprise.

"Look at the state of his robes," Malfoy would say in a loud whisper as Professor Lupin passed. "He dresses like our old house elf."

No one else seemed to care about the state of his uncle's attire. The next few lessons in Defense Against the Dark Arts were just as interesting as the first. After boggarts, they studied Red Caps, nastly little goblinlike creatures that lurked wherever there had been bloodshed, most of which were in locations such as the dungeons of castles and the potholes of deserted battlefields, waiting to bludgeon those who had gotten lost. From Red Caps they moved on to kappas, creepy water-dwellers that looked like scaly monkeys, with webbed hands itching to strangle unwitting waders in their ponds.

While Marcus immensely enjoyed his uncle's lessons, he couldn't say the same about his Potions classes. In fact, they were by the worst out of all his classes, and it didn't have anything to do with his performance. No, it had to do with Snape, who was in a particularly vindictive and foul mood these days. Of course, everyone knew why: The story of the boggart assuming Snape's shape, and the way that Neville had dressed it in his grandmother's clothes, had traveled through the school like wildfire. Snape didn't find this funny at all, as his eyes flashed menacingly at the mere mentioning of his uncle's name, and he was bullying Neville worse than ever, allowing Marcus, for better or worse, to keep up with the Quidditch World Cup match-ups and his subsequent bets with Mr. Booker.

He was very happy that all of his predictions were on the money, in particular the U.S. - Japan matchup, in which the U.S. All-Stars completely embarrassed the Japan International Team, 550-10. He noted that England made it past the first round and was going to go up against Transylvania, which he knew that England wasn't going to do well, especially considering that the matchup was at Transylvania. Wales was going to be all right up until the third round, where they'd most likely face Uganda, and against their particular style of playing Quidditch, Wales wouldn't be able to have an answer for them. Lastly, Scotland would most likely be out in their fourth round match, when they would go up against Luxembourg, the team that had a particularly skillful pair of Beaters and were pretty much the second biggest threat on that side of the bracket next to Bulgaria, who Marcus had no doubt would reach the Quidditch World Cup Finals. Marcus thanked his lucky stars that the U.S. All-Stars were on the opposite side of the bracket from Bulgaria, which had the best Seeker in the world, Viktor Krum. It was thanks to him that Bulgaria was doing as well as they were, because they didn't have much of anyone else.

Marcus tried to think about the Quidditch World Cup Tournament during his Divination classes as a way of trying to not focus on the subject, which was his second worst class by a small margin. Not only did Professor Trelawney go on and on about predicting the death of Harry, but she lauded his ability to "perfectly" see into the future, which annoyed him to no end. He was only able to do when he had his vision enhanced and only when he had his Divination class. He tried to do the same he did in class outside of it, but he had absolutely no luck with it. He surmised as much that there was something about that room that allowed him to do things he didn't think possible. It still didn't stop him from avoiding the classroom as much as could. Plus, most of the class gave Professor Trelawney respect that bordered on reverence, something that Marcus knew she didn't deserve. Two such classmates were Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown, who had decided to practically stalk Professor Trelawney's tower room at lunchtimes, always returning with irritatingly superior looks on their faces, as though they knew things the others didn't. It was particularly annoying to watch them using hushed voices whenever the spoke to Harry, like he was going to kick the bucket at any moment.

The most disappointing class was by far Care of Magical Creatures. Malfoy did a bang-up job taking the wind out of Hagrid's sails, because he made the class look after flobberworms lesson after lesson, which was easily the most irrelevant creature to exist in the Wizarding World.

"Why would anyone _bother_ looking after them?" said Ron, after yet another hour of poking shredded lettuce down the flobberworms' slimy throats.

Marcus was kept unusually busy, especially making once-a-week trips into the Forbidden Forest and to Sirius Black. This was steadily becoming his favorite thing to do, as it not only gave him a chance to be in his Animagus form, Leo, but it also gave him the chance to really connect with Sirius.

Marcus also knew that Lorelei had her suspicions, and it wasn't going to be long before he would have to tell her. Heck, he would have to tell at least one other person about the fact that he was helping a wanted man.

So, one evening, at the end of the workout, Marcus said, "Lorelei, I have something to tell you."

"Oh?" said Lorelei. "What is it?"

"Before I do, I just need to tell you to keep an open mind," stated Marcus. She nodded and that was when Marcus proceeded to tell her the entire situation.

At the end of it, she said, "Oh, Marcus, can I meet your godfather?"

That was the last reaction he was expecting. Sure, she might have been the one person who wasn't going to jump to conclusions, but for her to outright ask to meet him?

"You want to meet him?" asked a confused Marcus. "Surely, you don't feel a little scared?"

"What's there to be afraid of?" asked Lorelei. "If you trust him, so do I."

He looked at her, quite stunned. Lorelei Flamel was a remarkable girl, someone who always managed to surprise him.

"Well, let me talk to Sirius first," stated Marcus. "I don't think you'd like being bitten by a large, black dog -"

"Oh, he's an Animagus, too?!" said Lorelei, excited.

"Well, yes," said Marcus.

"Seems like you two have something that I'm not seem to be grasping," said Lorelei, crestfallen.

Marcus knew that, out of their entire training regimen, her Animagus training was the one thing she was struggling with, and it was bothering her to no end.

"Believe me, Lorelei," said Marcus, "we'll figure it out. In the meantime, I've got to be going to Sirius. He's expecting me."

"All right," said Lorelei, who regained herself. "Let me know what he says, okay?"

"I will," said Marcus as he exited the Room of Requirement.

* * *

As he was winding through the trees as Leo, he could see Sirius walking around in his Animagus form, waiting for him, by the looks of it.

The black dog saw Leo coming through the clearing they made near the edge of the Forbidden Forest and happily barked. Leo had to quickly sit the basket down before he got tackled. He felt the licks that the black dog was making on his face.

Marcus shifted back into his human form and said, "Geez, Sirius, knock it off! I'm glad to see you too."

The black dog gave off one last happy bark before shifting back into Sirius, who was laughing.

"Goodness, I didn't think you were strong enough to tackle a barbary lion, Sirius," said Marcus, smirking.

"Well, I've had my fair share of tackling large creatures in my time," said Sirius, still smiling. The light was starting to come back to his eyes, but it nothing more than a dull flicker. "Tell me, how are you faring on getting Scabbers?"

Marcus stopped smirking as he said, "Not good. The rat is still elusive, and Ron's getting more and more protective. That squash-faced orange tabby is really putting the rat through his paces."

"I think I know what you're talking about," said Sirius. "That cat's on our side. He's really quite intelligent. The most intelligent of his kind, I'd say."

"Wait, you didn't trust me to bring you the rat?"

"That's not it, Marcus," said Sirius, frowning. "You're busy taking classes and putting yourself through self-training. You're not able to devote all of your time into capturing Scabbers, and I don't want you to. That's what Crookshanks is there for. It's perfect, actually. It's natural that cats chase after rats."

"Well, I guess I can't fault you for that," said Marcus, who was just reminded of something. "Oh, yeah, did I tell you I have a training partner?"

"Who, the young man who insists on doing things alone?" asked Sirius. "Surely not," he added in a humorous, sarcastic way.

"Har, har," said Marcus. "Yes, I have a training partner. Her name is Lorelei Flamel, a second year student."

"Oh, so it's a young lady," said Sirius. "How interesting."

"That's the least of it," said Marcus, smirking. "She's intelligent, clever, and very determined. But, she's also kind, caring, and mindful of everyone around her. Very polite, too, and she's open-minded."

"Sounds like you've gotten to know this young lady rather well," said Sirius, who suddenly had a mischevious face.

"Wipe that look off your face, dear godfather," said Marcus, scolding him. "I trust her enough with my secrets and...well...I've told her about you."

"You did?" said Sirius, who suddenly got serious.

"She wants to meet you," said Marcus, sensing the change in the atmosphere. "She says that she trusts anybody that I trust. Plus, she's been struggling with her Animagus training, and I think she'll want to get some advice on how to succeed."

"Is that right?" asked Sirius, returning to normal. "Well, surely you can help her? You succeeded in half the time it took me to do it."

"I had some great help in doing so," said Marcus. "Besides, it might just help her to hear the process from someone else."

"That's true," said Sirius, stroking her chin. "Well, invite her next time you come out here, Marcus."

"I'll make sure to do so," said Marcus. "She'll be happy to -"

Marcus, in that moment, sensed something was wrong.

"Do you sense that, Sirius?" asked Marcus.

Sirius's face expressed nothing but seriousness as he said, "Yeah, I did. What are we looking at?"

Marcus enhanced his vision to see that they were surrounded by creatures that could stand up on their hind legs. They looked familiar and, unfortunately, that was the problem.

"I see ten werewolves," said Marcus. "I could try scaring them away."

"Not likely going to work," said Sirius. "They're in a pack and won't easily be intimidated."

"Well, let's see how they like dealing with two Animagi," said Marcus, who shifted into Leo.

"Agreed," said Sirius, who shifted back into a giant, black dog.

It was a nasty, tenacious fight, to say the least. Sirius was absolutely terrifying in his Animagus form, maiming at least four of the werewolves. Marcus, not to be outdone, made quick work of maiming five werewolves and scaring the sixth one away.

As they retreated, Marcus let off a loud and thunderous victory roar before shifting back into his normal form, looking quite pleased with himself.

"A bit overkill on the roar, wasn't it, Marcus?" said Sirius, who shifted back to normal.

"Definitely not," replied Marcus. "It sent a message to them not to mess with us again. Plus, I like to roar nice and loud."

"My ears can't say the same," said Sirius, who was rubbing his right ear.

Marcus looked down at his watch and said, "Oh, crap, I have to get heading back up to the castle. If it gets too late, my friends will start wondering where I'm at. Plus, I have to be rested up. Gryffindor's Quidditch Captain's having the first meeting take place this Thursday, and I don't want to sleep through it."

"What position do you play on the team, Marcus?" asked Sirius eagerly.

"Chaser," said Marcus with a smirk. "Harry plays on the team, too, you know. He's our Seeker, and is damn good at it, if I say so myself."

"Does he, now?" said Sirius, who looked a little sad.

Marcus' smirk disappeared. Harry's name was hardly mentioned between the two and, when it was, Sirius would get this look of sadness on his sunken face. Marcus reasoned that it must've had something to do with the night Harry's parents died, but he didn't want to bring it up with him. He was sure Sirius would tell him in due time. Sirius also didn't mention how well he knew his parents other than the fact that they went to Hogwarts together, another issue he didn't push.

"Yes," said Marcus. "I'll be sure to tell you when Gryffindor's first Quidditch match will be. Everyone will be at the Quidditch Field, so there's a chance you could come and watch."

"I think I'd like to take the risk," said Sirius with his old smile. "Could be fun."

"I'll see you soon, Sirius," said Marcus, who rendered himself invisible and made his way back to the castle.

* * *

At last, Thursday evening came, and everyone on the Quidditch team met up in the chilly locker rooms on the edge of the darkening Quidditch Field.

Oliver Wood made his way to the board, a burly seventeen-year-old, now in his seventh and final year at Hogwarts. There was a quiet sort of desperation in his voice as he addressed the other team members.

"This is our last chance - _my_ last chance - to win the Quidditch Cup," he told them, striding up and down in front of them. "I'll be leaving at the end of this year. I'll never get another shot at it."

Wood looked troubled as he continued, "Gryffindor hasn't won for seven years now. Okay, so we've had the worst luck in the world - injuries - then the tournament getting called off last year..." Wood swallowed, as though the memory still brought a lump to his throat. "But we also know we've got the _best_ \- _ruddy_ \- _team_ \- _in_ \- _the_ \- _school,"_ he said, punching a fist into his other hand, the old manic glint back in his eye.

"We've got three _superb_ Chasers."

Wood pointed at Marcus, Angelina Johnson, and Katie Bell.

"We've got two _unbeatable_ Beaters."

"Stop it, Oliver, you're embarrassing us," said Fred and George Weasley together, pretending to blush.

"And we've got a Seeker who has _never failed to win us a match_!" Wood rumbled, glaring at Harry with a furious pride. "And me," he added as an afterthought.

"We think you're very good too, Oliver," said George.

"Spanking good Keeper," said Fred.

"The point is," Wood went on, resuming his pacing, "the Quidditch Cup should have had our name on it these last two years. Every since Harry joined the team, I've thought the thing was in the bag, and with Marcus joining last year, even more so. But we haven't got it, and this year's the last chance we'll get to finally see our name on the thing..."

Wood spoke in such a dejected voice that even Fred and George looked sympathetic.

"Oliver, this year's our year," said Fred.

"We'll do it, Oliver!" said Angelina.

"Definitely," said Harry.

"Time to take what's rightfully ours," said Marcus, punching his left hand and smirking.

Full of determination, the team started training sessions, three evenings a week. The weather was getting colder, wetter, and the nights were getting darker. However, no matter how much mud, wind, or rain Marcus had to endure, envisioning his House's winning the Quidditch Cup was more than worth it.

Harry and Marcus returned to the Gryffindor common room one evening after training, cold and stiff but pleased with the way practice had gone, to find the room buzzing excitedly.

"What's happened?" Harry asked Ron and Hermione, who were sitting in two of the best chairs by the fireside and completing some star charts for Astronomy.

"First Hogsmeade weekend," said Ron, pointing at a notice that had appeared on the battered old bulletin board. "End of October, Halloween."

"Excellent," said Fred, who had followed Harry and Marcus through the portrait hole. "I need to visit Zonko's. I'm nearly out of Stink Pellets."

Marcus sat himself in the chair next to Hermione, his happy mood quickly whisked away, replaced by sheer irritation.

Hermione must've read his mind as well as Harry's, for she said, "Harry, Marcus, I'm sure you'll be able to go next time. They're bound to catch Black soon. He's been sighted once already."

 _"Yeah, right,"_ Marcus thought. _"The only ones that know that Sirius is hiding in the Forbidden Forest is me and Lorelei."_

"Black's not fool enough to try anything in Hogsmeade," said Ron. "Ask McGonagall if you can go this time, Harry, Marcus. The next one might not be for ages -"

 _"Ron!"_ said Hermione. "They're supposed to stay _in school_ -"

"They can't be the only third years left behind," said Ron. "Ask McGonagall, go on, guys -"

"Yeah, I think I will," said Harry, who seemed to have made up his mind.

Marcus, however, was not as naive. Professor McGonagall was one of the worst teachers to ask for favors, as she was as inflexible as she was strict. Ron had good intentions, but Marcus wasn't born yesterday. Still, the idea of visiting Omnifabrics in Hogsmeade was very alluring.

Hermione opened her mouth to argue, but at that moment leapt lightly onto her lap. A large, dead spider was dangling from his mouth.

"Does he have to eat that in front of us?" said Ron, scowling.

"Clever Crookshanks, did you catch that all by yourself?" said Hermione.

Crookshanks looked at Marcus, who had a feeling the cat was waiting for him on...something.

"Just keep him over there, that's all," said Ron irritably, turning back to his star chart. "I've got Scabbers asleep in my bag."

 _"I need to get my hands on Scabbers,"_ thought Marcus. _"Perhaps, if I could somehow tell Crookshanks where Scabbers is, he'll provide the window of opportunity I need."_

He then thought of the perfect way to signal Crookshanks. He made sure that Crookshanks still had his attention, then touched his left side, the same side Ron had his bag on, looked over to Ron, and slightly patted his left leg.

Marcus could hear Crookshanks purring, most likely to let Marcus know that he understood.

Ron, who saw Harry getting out his things to start on his Astronomy homework, said, "You can copy mine, if you like."

Hermione, who disapproved of copying, pursed her lips but didn't say anything. Marcus waited until Ron was paying attention to the Astronomy homework again, then slapped his left leg. Immediately, Crookshanks pounced on Ron.

"OY!" Ron roared, seizing his bag as Crookshanks sank four sets of claws deep inside it and began tearing ferociously. "GET OFF, YOU STUPID ANIMAL!"

As Ron tried to pull the bag away from Crookshanks, who was clinging on, spitting and slashing, Marcus look at the scene in absolute disbelief.

 _"I can't believe Crookshanks actually got my signals!"_ Marcus thought. _"I'll have to treat Crookshanks to some fish or something the next chance I get."_

"Ron, don't hurt him!" squealed Hermione, the whole common room was watching; Ron whirled the bag around, Crookshanks still clinging to it, and Scabbers came flying out of the top -

 _"Here it is!"_ Marcus thought excitedly. _"Time to catch the rat!"_

"CATCH THAT CAT!" Ron yelled as Crookshanks freed himself from the remnants of the bag, sprang over the table, and chased after the terrified Scabbers.

Marcus ran after Scabbers, who ran through twenty pairs of legs and shot beneath an old chest of drawers. Crookshanks skidded to a halt, crouched low on his bandy legs, and started making furious swipes beneath it with his front paw.

Marcus made sure to beat both Ron and Hermione as he quickly put his hand up to Crookshanks while grabbing Scabbers' tail and pulling him out of its hiding spot.

Hermione yanked Crookshanks by the middle as Scabbers tried desperately to get away as Marcus quickly went up to the dormitory.

 _"All right, I'm only going to get one shot at this,"_ thought Marcus. _"All right, eyes, don't let me down."_

He enhanced his vision as he made his way into the dormitory and focused as hard as he could on Scabbers.

Still trying to wiggle his way to freedom, Marcus saw that the color on and around Scabbers went away. He saw Scabbers inverted and it was in this moment that he discovered truly shocking.

Like it was when he saw Sirius Black, he saw Scabbers, but he also saw a sillouette of a man, a man who looked extremely familiar. His memory raced to when he was looking into Sirius's file at the Ministry and to the photo of the victim of the incident that landed Black in Azkaban, who was none other than -

"So, you're still alive after all, _Peter Pettigrew_ ," growled Marcus, who went from curious to pissed off in an instant. The rat wriggled more fiercely before, having been discovered for what he truly was. "I think there's someone who's just _eager_ to get his hands on you!"

Marcus was so focused on having finally secured the rat that he didn't notice in time that the rat swung up to the nearest finger possible and biting down extremely hard.

Marcus growled in pain, letting go of the rat, who raced to the underside of Ron's bed, which was too low to the ground to reach in there.

"Dammit!" Marcus roared. He had his hands on the traitorous rat, and he was caught off guard on top of releasing him.

"What happened, Marcus?!" said Ron, who came bounding into the dormitory.

"Scabbers bit my finger," said Marcus, returning his vision to normal and thinking up a good story to say. "I tried to get the rat tonic for him, but he bit me before I could get the chance to give it to him. He went under your bed."

"At least you tried, mate," said Ron, looking at his bed. "I can't believe her! Sticking up for that monster when it clearly has it out for Scabbers. Can't she see that?!"

"I'm sure she'll come around eventually, Ron," said Marcus, who was still mulling over his failed attempt.

"Not with the way she's acting," Ron retorted. "That cat's a bloody menace, and she thinks it's just the most innocent creature ever!"

Ron sat on his four-poster bed, fuming over what happened in the dormitory room. Marcus sat on his own, facing away from Ron. He couldn't bare to look at him, not after what he caused. He was damaging his frienships with his friends, something that he cherished deeply, for the sake of helping out an innocent man. Was this the way to go about it? Was there not a better solution?

"Marcus, you're on my side, right?" asked Ron.

"Of course, Ron," said Marcus, feeling a lot worse than before. "I always have your back."

"Thanks, mate," said Ron, who sounded slightly happier. "I know I can count on you."

Marcus got changed for his evening workout in the Room of Requirement and departed for said room, feeling like the worst friend in the world.

* * *

Ron was still in a bad mood with Hermione the next day. He barely talked to her all through Herbology, even though the four of them were working together on the same puffapod.

"How's Scabbers?" Hermione asked timidly as they stripped fat pink pods from the plants and emptied beans into a wooden pail.

"He's hiding at the bottom of my bed, shaking," said Ron angrily, missing the pail and scattering beans over the greenhouse floor.

"Careful, Weasley, careful!" cried Professor Sprout as the beans burst into bloom before their very eyes.

They had Transfiguration next. Marcus was waiting to enter with the rest of the class when he heard a disturbance at the front of the line.

Lavender Brown seemed to be crying. Parvati had her arm around her and was explaining something to Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas, who were looking very serious.

"What's the matter, Lavender?" said Hermione anxiously as she, Harry, Marcus, and Ron went to join the group.

"She got a letter from home this morning," Parvati whispered. "It's her rabbit, Binky. He's been killed by a fox."

"Oh," said Hermione, "I'm sorry, Lavender."

"I should have known!" said Lavender tragically. "You know what day it is?"

"Er-"

"The sixteenth of October! 'That thing you're dreading, it will happen on the sixteenth of October!' Remember? She was right, she was right!"

 _"That's one point for you, Professor Trelawney,"_ thought Marcus, much to his chagrin, as the whole class gathered around Lavender now. Seamus shook his head seriously. Hermione hesitated; then she said, "You - you were dreading Binky being killed by a fox?"

"Well, not necessarily by a _fox_ ," said Lavender, looking up at Hermione with streaming eyes, "but I was _obviously_ dreading him dying, wasn't I?"

"Oh," said Hermione. She paused again before saying, "Was Binky an _old_ rabbit?"

"N - no!" sobbed Lavender. "H - he was only a baby!"

Parvati tightened her arm around Lavender's shoulders.

"But then, why would you dread him dying?" said Hermione.

Parvait glared at her as Hermione turned to the rest of the class and said, "Well, look at it logically. I mean, Binky didn't even die today, did he? Lavender just got the news today -" Lavender wailed loudly. "- and she _can't_ have been dreading it, because it comes as a real shock -"

 _"Hermione, you couldn't possibly have been any more tactless than that right there,"_ thought Marcus, facepalming himself, which was nothing compared to what was going to happen next.

"Don't mind Hermione, Lavender," said Ron loudly. "she doesn't think other people's pets matter very much."

It was very lucky that Professor McGonagall opened the door that moment, because Ron and Hermione were looking daggers at each other and, as Harry and Marcus took their seats, Ron sat on Harry's left side while Hermione sat on Marcus's right side, leaving Harry and Marcus in the middle of them, who didn't talk to each other the entire side.

 _"Oh, my gosh, what have I done?"_ thought Marcus, who was regretting his actions more and more.

When the bell finally rang at the end of class, Professor McGonagall called out, "One moment, please! As you're all in my House, you should hand Hogsmeade permission forms to me before Halloween. No form, no visiting the village, so don't forget!"

Neville put up his hand.

"Please, Professor, I - I think I've lost -"

"Your grandmother sent yours to me directly, Longbottom," said Professor McGonagall. "She seemed to think it was safer. Well, that's all, you may leave."

"Ask her now, Harry," Ron hissed.

"Oh, but -" Hermione began.

"Go for it, Harry," said Ron stubbornly.

The rest of the class disappeared before Harry made his way to Professor McGonagall's desk, Ron looked to Marcus and said, "What about you, Marcus?"

"I'm not a fool, Ron," Marcus replied. "This attempt is going to spectacularly fail."

They waited for a minute before Harry came back to them, merely shaking his head as they left the classroom.

There was nothing to be done, as Marcus surmised before. Ron called Professor McGonagall a lot of names that greatly annoyed Hermione; Hermione assumed an "all-for-the-best" expression that made Ron even angrier, and the two of them had to endure everyone in the class talking loudly and happily about what they were going to do first, once they got into Hogsmeade.

"There's always the feast," said Ron, in an effort to cheer Harry and Marcus up. "You know, the Halloween feast, in the evening."

"Yeah," said Harry and Marcus simultaneously deadpanned. "Great."

Yes, the Halloween Feast was good, but compared to being able to go to Hogsmeade for the day, it just didn't have the same feeling to it. Nothing anyone said was able to change his mind. Dean Thomas offered to forge both of their permission slips, as he was good with a quill, but since Harry already told Professor McGonagall that he wasn't able to get his signed and Marcus knew better than to try and slip a forged permission slip past two top-rated Aurors, it didn't do any good. Ron halfheartedly suggested that Harry used his Invisibility Cloak and Marcus using his Disillusionment Charm, but Hermione stamped on that one, reminding Ron what Dumbledore had told them about the dementors being able to see through them. Marcus had seriously considered this option, as he would merely take the form of Leo to fool them, but there was no way to get to Hogsmeade without passing them and he didn't want to take the chance of passing out in their presence. Percy had what were possibly the least helpful words of comfort.

"They make a fuss about Hogsmeade, but I assure you, boys, it's not all it's cracked up to be," he said seriously. "All right, the sweetshop's rather good, and Zonko's Joke Shop's frankly dangerous, and yes, the Shrieking Shack's always worth a visit, but really, Harry, Marcus, apart from that, you're not missing anything."

 _"The next time I want to be comforted, I'll be sure to avoid you like a plague,"_ thought Marcus, who was suppressing his urge to punch Percy in the face.

* * *

One week before Halloween, right after their evening workout, Marcus said, "So, Lorelei, are you ready to meet my godfather?"

"Oh, of course," she said excitedly.

"Meet me in the common room once you've showered and changed," Marcus said. "We'll make sure the coast is clear before casting the Disillusionment Charm and departing."

Marcus was excited himself for Lorelei to meet Sirius. As he was taking his shower, he knew that it would be good for Sirius to be around someone else, as he was sure it wasn't easy hiding out in the Forbidden Forest 24/7. Marcus got out of the shower and dressed in something comfortable and went to the common room.

He waited for a little bit before Lorelei came down from the girl's dormitory. As there was still people in the common room, they took seats near the fire and "started" a Wizard's Chess Game, to make it look like they were doing something. It was a while longer before the last wizard went to bed. They double-checked to make sure the coast was clear, then they cast the Disillusionment Charm on themselves, waited for the spell to take full effect, and left the common room.

It was particularly challenging that night to get by the teachers, but eventually the two of them made it past the front doors and made their way to the Forbidden Forest.

Once they reached the edge, they lifted the Disillusionment Charm on themselves and Marcus said, "Now, you'll be riding on my back once I shift into Leo. When we get close, I'll do a low growl, and that'll be your cue to get off and get behind the nearest tree. Only when I say so will you come out and meet Sirius."

"Must we take so many precautions?" asked Lorelei.

"The last thing I want is Sirius to think he needs to defend himself," said Marcus. "And he's terryfing in his Animagus form when he wants to be. So, yes, we must."

Marcus then shifted into Leo, Lorelei hopped onto his back, and the two of them entered the Forbidden Forest.

As soon as he within 50 feet of the rendevous point, Marcus emitted a low growl and Lorelei hopped off his back and hid behind the nearest tree.

Leo then came bounding through the clearing, surprising the black dog. The black dog turned around and growled, until he saw that it was Leo, then barked happily.

Marcus shifted back to normal and said, "How you've been holding up, Sirius?"

The black dog shifted back into human form as he said, "Still staying away from those Dementors successfully."

Sirius then looked around and said, "Wait, where's Ms. Flamel? You did say that you'd bring her out here, didn't you?"

"I did," said Marcus, who looked behind him and called out, "It's safe, Lorelei."

Lorelei came into the clearing as Marcus said, "Lorelei, this is my godfather, Sirius Black. Sirius, this is my friend and training partner, Lorelei Flamel."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Black," said Lorelei, who curtsied.

"Oh, no, the pleasure's all mine," said Sirius. "Forgive my rather ragged appearance. It hasn't been the easiest of times."

"It's quite all right," said Lorelei, smiling.

"You weren't kidding," Sirius said, looking at Marcus. "She is really kind and curteous." He then looked back at Lorelei and said, "So, Marcus tells me he's teaching you how to become an Animagus?"

"Oh, yes," said Lorelei. "It's been the most difficult out of everything he's taught me so far. I'm just not able to grasp it as easily as the others."

"Well, I remember when I was learning about it myself," stated Sirius. "The thing that made it somewhat easier for me was embracing my instincts."

Marcus stroked his chin in thought as Lorelei said, "Embracing my instincts?"

"Oh, yes," Sirius stated. "Each person has different instincts. Some have instincts to fight, like my godson here, and others have instincts to protect. It all depends on what a particular person is inclined to gravitate towards."

"In other words, a person's personality plays a direct part in the animal that they can shift into," said Marcus thoughtfully. "I never thought of it that way."

"Exactly, Marcus," said Sirius, smiling. "Do you understand, Ms. Flamel?"

"Oh, yes!" Lorelei exclaimed, smiling. "That makes perfect sense!"

"Which reminds me, what other things has my godson taught you?" asked Sirius.

By the time she finished going through the list, Sirius looked at Marcus with wide eyes and said, "You've been busy!"

"Twice a day, ensuring I finish all of mine and her homework," said Marcus. "We're due to start the Limit Release Spell soon. They're teaching that spell over in the U.S."

"I've heard of that spell," said Sirius. "It's not a very challenging spell, is it?"

"It's not," said Marcus. "The problem lies in knowing when to stop. A lot of witches and wizards get carried away with the power that comes with using their body's untapped potential and die from it. So, the training will consist of how long the spell can be safely used before it does more harm than good."

"I see," said Sirius. "Anything interesting going on?"

"The third years and above are going to Hogsmeade on Halloween," said Marcus in a bitter tone. "Everyone except me and Harry, that is. There's the Halloween Feast later that night, which everyone will be at, but it's just not the same."

"That's next week, isn't it?" asked Sirius.

"It is, Mr. Black," said Lorelei.

Marcus could've sworn there was a hungry look in his godfather's eyes, but dismissed it.

"It's getting late," said Marcus. "We better head back before someone notices we're gone."

"It was a pleasure meeting you, Mr. Black," said Lorelei.

"The pleasure was all mine," said Sirius. "Please continue to watch over my godson in my absence, Ms. Flamel."

"I will, Mr. Black," said Lorelei, smiling.

Marcus looked at Black with an unamused look on his face, to which Sirius said, "Hey, somebody's got to make sure you don't get carried away."

Marcus couldn't help but smirk as he said, "I'll see you later, godfather."

Him and Lorelei then cast the Disillusionment Charm and made their way back to the castle.

* * *

On Halloween morning, Marcus awoke with the rest and went down to breakfast, feeling completely irritated, though he did his best to try and act normal.

"We'll bring you both lots of sweets back from Honeydukes," said Hermione, looking desperately sorry for them.

"Yeah, loads," said Ron. He and Hermione had finally forgotten their squabble about Crookshanks in the face of their difficulties.

"Don't worry about us," said Harry, in his best offhand voice. "We'll see you at the feast. Have a good time."

Marcus and Harry accompanied them to the entrance hall, where Filch, the caretaker, was standing inside the front doors, checking off names against a long list, peering suspiciously into every face, and making sure that no one was sneaking out who shouldn't be going.

"Staying here, Potter, Williams?" shouted Malfoy, who was standing in line with Crabbe and Goyle. "Scared of passing the dementors?"

Marcus resisted the urge to punch Malfoy's face in as him and Harry made their way up the marble staircase, through the deserted corridors, and back to Gryffindor Tower.

"Password?" said the Fat Lady, jerking out of a doze.

"Fortuna Major," said Harry listlessly.

The portrait swung open and he climbed through the hole into the common room. It was fully of chattering first and second years, and a few older students, who had obviously visited Hogsmeade so often the novelty had worn off.

"Harry! Marcus! Hi, guys!"

It was Colin Creevey, a second year who was deeply in awe of them and never missed an opportunity to speak to them.

"Aren't you going to Hogsmeade, guys? Why not? Hey" - Colin looked eagerly around at his friends - "you can come and sit with us, if you like, Harry, Marcus!"

"Er - no, thanks, Colin," said Harry.

"Yeah, we'd like to, but we have to go to the library, to get some work done," said Marcus.

After that, they had no choice but to turn right around and head back out of the portrait hole again.

"What was the point waking me up?" the Fat Lady called grumpily after them as they walked away.

Harry and Marcus walked dispiritedly toward the library, but halfway there they changed their mind; they didn't feel like working. They turned around and came face-to-face with Filch, who had obviously just seen off the last of the Hogsmeade visitors.

"What are the two of you doing?" Filch snarled suspiciously.

"Nothing," said Harry truthfully.

"Nothing!" spat Filch, his jowls quivering unpleasantly. "A likely story! The both of you, sneaking around - why aren't you both in Hogsmeade buying Stink Pellets and Belch Powder and Whizzing Worms like the rest of your nasty little friends?"

Harry and Marcus shrugged at the same time, Marcus knowing that it wasn't worth getting into it with Filch.

"Well, get back to your common room where you belong!" snapped Filch, and he stood glaring until Harry and Marcus passed out of sight.

Harry and Marcus agreed that they didn't want to go back to the common room, not with Colin Creevey being there. They were walking along another corridor when a voice from inside one of the rooms said, "Harry? Marcus?"

Marcus looked to the voice of the source to find -

"Uncle Remus!" Marcus said.

"What are you two doing?" said Lupin. "Where are Ron and Hermione?"

"Hogsmeade," said Harry and Marcus together.

"Ah," said Lupin. He looked at the two of them for a moment before saying, "Why don't you two come in? I've just taken delivery of a grindylow for our next lesson."

"A what?" said Harry.

They followed Lupin into his office. In the corner stood a very large tank of water. A sickly green creature with sharp little horns had its face pressed against the glass, pulling faces and flexing its long, spindly fingers.

"Water demon," said Lupin, surveying the grindylow thoughtfully. "We shouldn't have much difficulty with him, not after the kappas. The trick is to break his grip. You notice the abnormally long fingers? Strong, but very brittle."

"I see," said Marcus, who saw the grindylow baring its green teeth at him before burying itself in a tangle of weeds in a corner. "That shouldn't be too difficult."

"Cup of tea?" Lupin said, looking around for his kettle. "I was just thinking of making one."

"Yeah, that sounds nice," said Marcus, smirking.

"All right," said Harry in an awkward tone.

Uncle Remus tapped the kettle with his wand and a blast of steam issued suddenly from the spout.

"Please, boys, have a seat," said his uncle, taking the lid off a dusty tin. "I've only got teabags, I'm afraid - but I daresay you two have had enough of tea leaves?"

"Oh, yeah, you could definitely say that," said Marcus in a bitter tone.

"How did you know about that?" Harry asked.

"Professor McGonagall told me," said Lupin, passing Harry and Marcus chipped mugs of tea. "You're not worried, are you?"

"No," said Harry.

Marcus kept silent with this question. The last few times he was in the class, he saw some things that didn't bode well for him.

"Anything worrying you, Harry?" Lupin asked, seeing the look on Harry's face.

"No," Harry said before suddenly saying, "Yes," putting his tea down on Lupin's desk. "You know that day we fought the boggart for the first time?"

"Yes," said his uncle slowly.

"Why didn't you let me fight it?" said Harry abruptly.

Lupin raised his eyebrows before saying in a surprised tone, "I would have thought that was obvious, Harry."

Harry was taken aback by his uncle's statement, but continued, "Why?"

"Well," said Lupin, frowning slightly, "I assumed that if the boggart faced you, it would assume the shape of Lord Voldemort."

Marcus had drawn to the same conclusion as his uncle did, but didn't bother telling Harry this. It sounded much better having it come from a teacher than it did from a classmate.

"Clearly, based on the events from Marcus' remedial lesson, I was wrong," his uncle said, still frowning at Harry. "But I didn't think it a good idea for Lord Voldemort to materialize in the staffroom. I imagined that people would panic."

"I didn't think of Voldemort," said Harry. "I - I remembered those dementors."

"I see," said his uncle thoughtfully. "Well, well...I'm impressed. That suggests that what you fear most of all is - fear. Very wise, Harry."

"So you've been thinking that I didn't believe you capable of fighting the boggart?" said Lupin shrewdly.

"Well...yeah," said Harry. "Professor Lupin, you know the dementors -"

He was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Come in," called Lupin.

The door opened, and in came Snape. He was carrying a goblet, which was smoking faintly, and stopped at the sight of Harry and Marcus, his black eyes narrowing, to which Marcus narrowed his eyes back.

"Ah, Severus," said his uncle, smiling. "Thanks very much. Could you leave it here on the desk for me?"

Snape set down the smoking goblet, his eyes wandering between Harry, Marcus, and Uncle Remus.

"I was just showing Harry and Marcus my grindylow," said Lupin pleasantly, pointing at the tank.

"Fascinating," said Snape, without looking at it. "You should drink that directly, Lupin."

"Yes, yes, I will," said Lupin.

"I made an entire cauldronful," Snape continued. "If you need more."

"I should probably take some again tomorrow. Thank very much, Severus."

"Not at all," said Snape, but there was a look in his eye that didn't settle well with Marcus. He backed out of the room, unsmiling and watchful.

Marcus looked curiously at the goblet. Something about the contents of the goblet looked familiar, though he didn't know why that was.

His uncle smiled before saying, "Professor Snape has very kindly concocted a potion for me. I have never been much of a potion-brewer and this one is particularly complex." He picked up the goblet and sniffed it. "Pity sugar makes it useless," he added, taking a sip and shuddering.

Marcus narrowed his eyes at his uncle at his last statement, not out of anger, but suspicion. There were very few potions that were rendered useless by sugar.

"Why -?" Harry began.

His uncle looked at Harry and answered, "I've been feeling a bit off-color. This potion is the only thing that helps. I am very lucky to be working alongside Professor Snape; there aren't many wizards who are up to making it."

Marcus had his suspicions on Snape. Regardless of that, he had to be grateful to the git.

"Professor Snape's very interested in the Dark Arts," Harry blurted out.

"Really?" said Marcus' uncle, who looked only mildly interesting as he took another gulp of the potion.

"Some people reckon -" Harry hesitated for a bit before continuing, "some people reckon he'd do anything to get the Defense Against the Dark Arts job."

Lupin drained the goblet and pulled a face.

"Disguisting," he said. "Well, Harry, Marcus, I'd better get back to work. I'll see you two at the feast later."

"Right," said Harry, putting down his empty teacup.

As Marcus was setting his down, his uncle, "By the way, Marcus, how did it go with the first round of the Quidditch World Cup?"

Marcus smirked as he replied, "All my predictions were right on the money, and I was able to recover a little more than half on my total investments. I've already sent Mr. Booker my second round predictions. I should hear the results after the second round is done late November."

"Good, good," said his uncle, smiling. "Let me know how that goes."

"I will," said Marcus as him and Harry walked out of his uncle's office.

* * *

"There you go, guys," said Ron. "We got as much as we could carry."

A shower of brilliantly colored sweets fell into Harry and Marcus's laps. It was dusk, and Ron and Hermione had just turned up in the common room, pink-faced from the cold wind and looking as though they'd had the time of their lives.

"Thanks," said Harry, who picked up a packet of tiny black Pepper Imps. "What's Hogsmeade like? Where did you go?"

By the sound of it - everywhere. Dervish and Banges, the wizarding equipment shop, Zonko's Joke Shop, into the Three Broomsticks for foaming mugs of hot butterbeer, and many places besides.

"The post office, guys! About two hundred owls, all sitting on shelves, all color-coded depending on how fast you want your letter to get there!"

"Honeydukes has got a new kind of fudge; they were giving out free samples, there's a bit, look -"

"We _think_ we saw an ogre, honestly, they get all sorts at the Three Broomsticks -"

"Wish we could have brought you both some butterbeer, really warms you up -"

"Did you guys see a store called Omnifabrics?" asked Marcus eagerly.

"Oh, yes," said Ron. "All sorts of magical fabrics for any occasion! Hermione and I checked it out for a bit and we wanted to get something from there. But, the prices were a bit high, so we couldn't get anything from there."

"I see," said Marcus. He knew that, the next time he had a chance, he had to find a way to Hogsmeade.

"What did you guys do?" said Hermione, who looked anxious. "Did you two get any work done?"

"No," said Harry.

"My uncle Remus made us some tea in his office," Marcus told Ron and Hermione. "And then Snape came in..."

He told them all about the goblet. Ron's mouth fell open.

 _"Lupin drank it?"_ he gasped. "Is he mad?"

Hermione checked her watch.

"We'd better go down, you know, the feast'll be starting in five minutes..." They hurried throught the portrait hole and into the crowd, still discussing Snape.

"But if he - you know" - Hermione dropped her voice, glancing nervously around - "if he _was_ trying to - to poison Lupin - he wouldn't have done it in front of Harry and Marcus."

"Yeah, maybe," said Harry.

"Snape's not stupid enough to do anything suspicious under Dumbledore's watch," said Marcus with confidence as the reached the entrance hall and crossed into the Great Hall. It had been decorated with hundreds and hundreds of candle-filled pumpkins, a cloud of fluttering live bats, and many flaming orange streamers, which were swimming lazily across the stormy ceiling like brilliant watersnakes.

The food was delicious; Marcus mainly talked to Lorelei, going over their training itinerary for the next couple of months, making some side talk in between. He was really glad to spend any moment he could with Lorelei. She was easy to be around, easier than even his three closest friends at times.

The feast finished with an entertainment provided by the Hogwarts ghosts. They popped out of the walls and tables to do a bit of formation gliding; Nearly Headless Nick, the Gryffindor ghost, had a great success with a reenactment of his own botched beheading.

It had been such a pleasant evening that Marcus's good mood couldn't even be spoiled by Malfoy, who shouted through the crowd as they all left the hall, "The dementors send their love, Potter and Williams!"

The four of them, along with Lorelei, followed the rest of the Gryffindors along the usual path to Gryffindor Tower, but when they reached the corridor that ended with the portrait of the Fat Lady, they found it jammed with students.

"Why isn't anyone going in?" said Ron curiously.

Marcus peered over the heads in front of him. The portrait seemed to be closed.

"Don't tell me the Fat Lady is actually sleeping on the job again," said Marcus.

"I don't think so," said Lorelei. "She usually wakes up when a Gryffindor approaches her painting.

"Let me through, please," came Percy's voice, and he came bustling importantly through the crowd. "What's the holdup here? You can't all have forgotten the password - excuse me, I'm Head Boy -"

And then a silence fell over the crowd, from the front first, so that a chill seemed to spread down the corridor. They heard Percy say, in a suddenly sharp voice, "Somebody get Professor Dumbledore. Quick."

Marcus suddenly started to feel very uneasy. Something that warranted Professor Dumbledore was usually anything but good.

"What's going on?" said Ginny, who had just arrrived.

A moment later, Professor Dumbledore was there, sweeping toward the portrait; the Gryffindors squeezed together to let him through, and Harry, Ron, Marcus, Hermione, and Lorelei moved closer to see what the trouble was.

"Oh, my -" Lorelei grabbed Marcus' arm.

The Fat Lady had vanished from her portrait, which had been slashed so viciously that strips of canvas littered the floor; great chunks of it had been torn away completely.

 _"No student could have done this,"_ thought Marcus.

Dumbledore took one quick look at the ruined painting and turned, his eyes somber, to see Professors McGonagall, Lupin, and Snape hurrying toward him.

"We need to find her," said Dumbledore. "Professor McGonagall, please go to Mr. Filch at once and tell him to search every painting in the castle for the Fat Lady."

"You'll be lucky!" said a cackling voice.

It was Peeves the Poltergeist, bobbing over the crowd and looking delighted, as he always did, at the sight of wreckage or worry.

"What do you mean, Peeves?" said Dumbledore calmly, and Peeve's grin faded a little. He didn't dare taunt Dumbledore. Instead, he adopted an oily voice that was no better than his cackle.

"Ashamed, Your Headship, sir. Doesn't want to be seen. She's a horrible mess. Saw her running through the landscape up on the fourth floor, sir, dodging between the trees. Crying something dreadful," he said happily. "Poor thing," he added unconvincingly.

"Did she say who did it?" said Dumbledore quietly.

"Oh, yes, Professorhead," said Peeves, with the air of cradling a large bombshell in his arms. "He got very angry when she wouldn't let him in, you see." Peeves flipped over and grinned at Dumbledore from between his own legs. "Nasty temper he's got, that Sirius Black."

Marcus felt absolute horror gripping him. He looked at Lorelei, who came to the same thought as he did: Marcus gave Sirius the green light to invade Hogwarts without even realizing it.

 **And that concludes another chapter of HP: Freedom's Path! Please feel free to leave a review, letting me know what you think. Also, if you have any questions that you want to ask, please don't hesitate to leave me a PM and, I promise, I will do my best to answer them. Until then, keep your eyes open for the next chapter of HP: Freedom's Path!**


	8. (08) A Complete and Utter Failure

**Welcome, one and all, to the next chapter of HP: Freedom's Path! Not much to explain here, other than to thank you all for reading my work and taking the time out of your busy day to do so. So...**

 **Disclaimer: Absolutely NO ownership of HP, save for OC's...crap...**

 **Without further ado, here's...**

Chapter 8: Complete And Utter Defeat

 **Enjoy!**

As Marcus was making his way to the Great Hall with the rest of the Gryffindors, he felt angry. He was angry at Sirius and he was angry at himself. He was angry at Sirius because he felt that Sirius didn't trust him enough to get Pettigrew on his own, and he felt angry with himself because he didn't realize that Sirius was going to get into Hogwarts on Halloween and should have.

Once all the students were in the great hall, Professor Dumbledore said, "The teachers and I need to conduct a thorough search of the castle." Professors McGonagall and Flitwick closed all the doors into the hall as he continued, "I'm afraid that, for your own safety, you will have to spend the night here. I want the prefects to stand guard over the entrances to the hall and I am leaving the Head Boy and Girl in charge. Any disturbance should be reported to me immediately," he added to Percy, who was looking immensly proud and important. "Send word with one of the ghosts."

Marcus silently scoffed as he thought, _"Sirius's already in the Forbidden Forest by now. They're not going to get him."_

Professor Dumbledore paused, about to leave the hall, and said, "Oh, yes, you'll be needing..."

One casual wave of his wand and the long tables flew to the edges of the hall and stood themselves against the walls; another wave, and the floor was covered with hundreds of squashy purple sleeping bags.

"Sleep well," said Professor Dumbledore, closing the door behind him.

The hall immediately began to buzz excitedly; the Gryffindors were telling the rest of the school what had just happened.

"Everyone into their sleeping bags!" shouted Percy. "Come on, now, no more talking! Lights out in ten minutes!"

"C'mon," Ron said to Harry, Marcus, and Hermione; as they seized four sleeping bags and dragged them into a corner, Marcus watched Lorelei taking a sleeping bag and joining her fellow second years, which was good, because Marcus was far too angry to get a word out otherwise.

"Do you think Black's still in the castle?" Hermione whispered anxiously.

 _"Obviously not,"_ thought Marcus. _"Otherwise, he'd already be caught."_

"Dumbledore obviously thinks he might be," said Ron.

"It's very lucky he picked tonight, you know," said Hermione as they climbed fully dressed into their sleeping bags and propped themselves on their elbows to talk. "The one night we weren't in the tower..."

 _"Luck had nothing to do with it,"_ thought Marcus. _"Especially if he was told all the information he needed."_

"I reckon he's lost track of time, being on the run," said Ron. "Didn't realize it was Halloween. Otherwise he'd have come bursting in here."

Hermione shuddered while Marcus rolled his eyes. There was a reason why Black hadn't been caught up to this point, and it wasn't because he burst through every premise he came across.

All around them, people were asking one another the same question: _"How did he get in?"_

This was a question that Marcus didn't entirely know the answer to. Marcus did know that Sirius had to know Hogwarts well enough to get inside the castle, make his way to the top and, upon failing to enter the Gryffindor common room, make his way back down and out without alerting everyone.

"Maybe he knows how to Apparate," said a Ravenclaw a few feet away. "Just appear out of thin air, you know."

"Disguised himself, probably," said a Hufflepuff fifth year.

"He could've flown in," suggested Dean Thomas.

"Honestly, am I the _only_ person who's ever bothered to read _Hogwarts, A History_?" said Hermione crossly to Harry and Ron.

"You and Marcus," said Ron. "Why?"

"Because the castle's protected by more than _walls_ , you know," said Hermione. "There are all sorts of enchantments on it, to stop people entering by stealth. You can't just Apparate in here. And I'd like to see the disguise that could fool those dementors. They're guarding every single entrance to the grounds. They'd have seen him fly in too. And Filch knows all the secret passages, they'll have them covered..."

"It's entirely possible that there are secret passages that not even Filch knows about," said Marcus, finally talking. "And if there was one that allowed Black to bypass the dementors, the castle's enchantments, and Filch, it would give him a golden opportunity to do what he needs to do, right?"

Harry and Ron looked at him with wide eyes, and Hermione was about to say something, but Percy shouted, "The lights are going out now! I want everyone in their sleeping bags and no more talking!"

The candles all went out at once. The only light now came from the silvery ghosts, who were drifting about talking seriously to the prefects, and the enchanted ceiling, which, like the sky outside, was scattered with stars.

It was a long shot, but what Marcus said to his friends seemed to make the only sense. There had to be a secret passage that only a select few knew about, Sirius being one of them. Otherwise, he would've been spotted by somebody.

Around three in the morning, Marcus noticed Professor Dumbledore coming into the Great Hall. Marcus looked for Percy and found him very close to where he was, so he pretended to be alseep as Dumbledore's footstep drew near.

"Any sign of him, Professor?" asked Percy in a whisper.

"No. All well here?"

"Everything under control, sir."

"Good. There's no point moving them all now. I've found a temporary guardian for the Gryffindor portrait hole. You'll be able to move them back in tomorrow."

"And the Fat Lady, sir?"

"Hiding in a map of Argyllshire on the second floor. Apparently she refused to let Black in without the password, so he attacked. She's still very distressed, but once she's calmed down, I'll have Mr. Filch restore her."

Marcus heard the door of the hall creak open again, and more footsteps.

"Headmaster?" It was Snape. Marcus kept still as much as he could, still listening intently. "The whole of the third floor has been searched. He's not there. And Filch has done the dungeons; nothing there either."

"What about the Astronomy tower? Professor Trelawney's room? The Owlery?"

"All searched..."

"Very well, Severus. I didn't really expect Black to linger."

"Have you any theory as to how he got in, Professor?" asked Snape.

"Many, Severus, each of them as unlikely as the next."

Marcus looked up as quickly as he could before resuming his position. Dumbledore was facing his direction, looking troubled.

"You remember the conversation we had, Headmaster, just before - ah - the start of term?" said Snape, who sounded very quiet, like he didn't want Percy to be hearing the conversation.

"I do, Severus," said Dumbledore, whose tone indicated that Snape was bringing up something very sensitive.

"It seems - almost impossible - that Black could have entered the school without inside help. I did express my concerns when you appointed -"

"I do not believe a single person inside the castle would have helped Black enter it," said Dumbledore, and his tone made it so clear that the subject was closed that Snape didn't reply. "I must go down to the dementors. I said I would inform them when our search was complete."

"Didn't they want to help, sir?" said Percy.

"Oh yes," said Dumbledore coldly. "But I'm afraid no dementor will cross the threshold of this castle while I am headmaster."

Marcus could now see Percy clearly, who looked slightly abashed. Dumbledore left the hall, walking quickly and quietly. Snape stood for a moment, watching the headmaster with an expression of deep resentment on his face; then he too left.

Marcus looked at Harry, Ron, and Hermione, whose eyes were all opened, reflecting the starry ceiling.

"What was all that about?" Ron mouthed.

* * *

The next night, Marcus went into the Forbidden Forest, making sure to shift into Leo as he entered. He made his way to the clearing where, sure enough, Sirius was laying down in his Animagus form. When he came into it, Sirius saw him, got up, and barked happily. He didn't take two steps forward before Marcus let out a loud and thunderous roar, showing how angry he was with him.

Sirius started to whine, like he was caught doing something he shouldn't have done.

Marcus shifted back into normal and yelled, "What you were thinking, Sirius?! Breaking into Hogwarts when half of the entire world is out looking for you!"

Sirius shifted back into normal and said, "I'm sorry, Marcus. I figured Halloween would be a good time to get my hands on the rat while everyone else was at the feast."

"Which reminds me," said Marcus through gritted teeth. "You failed to mention that Scabbers is actually Peter Pettigrew in his Animagus form."

"Now, really, Marcus," said Sirius with a straight face. "Would you have believed me if I had told you outright?"

"No," said Marcus with great hesitation and reluctance. "Still, why didn't you tell me you were going to make an attempt at Pettigrew?"

"In case the adults around you decided to subject you to Veritaserum," stated Sirius.

"Veritaserum?" asked Marcus.

"A potion that forces the drinker to tell the truth," stated Sirius.

"Well, one, I'm not able to drink any potions without throwing it all back up," stated Marcus. "And, two, I could've given you the password to enter Gryffindor Tower!"

Sirius looked surprised and said, "You would've actually done that?"

"If it meant getting to the bottom of this mystery, yes," said Marcus. "It's clear that nothing that was stated in your criminal file is the truth, since Pettigrew's alive, but you still haven't told me why you're desperate to get your hands on him."

"I will tell you, Marcus...in time," said Sirius. "Look, I will get inside Hogwarts again, as long as Pettigrew's in there. And I'll want your help when I do it, Marcus."

Marcus looked at him for a minute before saying, "That works. I'll keep an eye out for an opportunity. In the meantime, you'll need to lay low."

"Actually, Marcus," said Sirius, "I have some business to take care of, and will be away until Christmas."

"Not so fast," said Marcus. "Harry and I's first Quidditch match is this Saturday. I want you to watch before you leave."

"Marcus!" said Sirius. "You can't possibly -"

"There's a Quidditch Tower that's never used," Marcus stated. "Conveniently, it's erected closest to this forest, and the weather is looking horrendously bad for the match, giving you the perfect cover. And, as long as you watch in your Animagus form, even if someone sees you, they'll just think you're some kind of stray animal. You said you wanted to make it up to me in any way you can for being out of my life for so long. We'll start with this."

"Well, as long as everything's as you stated, I could risk it," said Sirius, who still looked unsure. "After the match, though, I have to take care of my business."

"What kind of business?" Marcus asked.

"Can't tell you," Sirius stated, who saw the increasingly angry look on Marcus' face and hurried, "It'll ruin the surprise."

"Surprise?" said Marcus. "Well, if it's a surprise, I guess I won't push it." Marcus then looked at the time and said, "I've got to get going back. The new security measures they've put on the castle are a pain to get around, so it'll take me longer to get back to Gryffindor Tower. Remember, stay low until I say so!"

"I will, godson," said Sirius as Marcus left the clearing.

* * *

The school talked of nothing but Sirius Black for the next few days. It was quite amusing for Marcus to hear about the increasingly wild theories surrounding his method of entering Hogwarts. He wanted to ask Sirius himself, but as he wanted to figure that out on his own, he didn't bother asking. Hannah Abbott, from Hufflepuff, spent much of their next Herbology class telling anyone who'd listen that Black could turn into a flowering shrub.

The Fat Lady's ripped canvas had been taken off the wall and replaced with the portrait of Sir Cadogan and his fat gray pony. Nobody was very happy with this, especially Marcus. Sir Cadogan spent half his time challenging people to duels, and the rest thinking up ridiculously complicated passwords, which he changed at least twice a day. On multiple occassions did Marcus had to suppress the urge to burn the painting down. He had enough to keep track of, and Sir Cadogan's absurd passwords were not one of them.

"He's a complete lunatic," said Seamus Finnigan angrily to Percy. "Can't we get anyone else?"

"None of the other pictures wanted the job," said Percy. "Frightened of what happened to the Fat Lady. Sir Cadogan was the only one brave enough to volunteer."

As unusually irritating Sir Cadogan was, he was the least of Marcus' worries. Him and Harry were both being watched. Teachers found excuses to walk along corridors with them, and Percy (acting, Marcus suspected, on his mother's orders) was tailing them everywhere like an extremely pompous guard dog, leaving Marcus little room to do what he needed to do. To make it worse, Professor McGonagall summoned Marcus and Harry into her office, with such a somber expression on her face that Marcus thought someone must have died.

"There's no point hiding it from you two any longer, Potter, Williams," she said in a very serious voice. "I know this will come as a shock to you both, but Sirius Black -"

"We know he's after us," said Marcus wearily. "My dad told me and Harry over the summer."

Professor McGonagall seemed very taken aback. She started at Harry and Marcus for a moment or two, then said, "I see! Well, in that case, boys, you'll understand why I don't think it's a good idea for you two to be practicing Quidditch in the evenings. Out on the field with only your team members, it's very exposed -"

"We've got our first match on Saturday!" said Harry, outraged. "We've got to train, Professor!"

"Hmmm..." Professor McGonagall stood up and stared out of the window at the Quidditch field, just visible through the rain. "Well...goodness knows, I'd like to see us win the Cup at last...but all the same, Potter, Williams...I'd be happier if a teacher were present. I'll ask Madam Hooch to see your training sessions."

* * *

Just as Marcus predicted, the weather worsened steadily as the first Quidditch match drew nearer. Undaunted, the Gryffindor team was training harder than ever under the eye of Madam Hooch. Then, at their final training session before Saturday's match, Oliver Wood gave his team some unwelcome news.

"We're not playing Slytherin!" he told them, looking very angry. "Flint's just been to see me. We're playing Hufflepuff instead."

"Why?" chorused the rest of the team.

"Flint's excuse is that their Seeker's arm's still injured," said Wood, grinding his teeth furiously. "But it's obvious why they're doing it. Don't want to play in this weather. Think it'll damage their chances..."

"There's _nothing wrong_ with Malfoy's arm!" said Marcus furiously. "He's faking it!"

"I know that, but we can't prove it," said Wood bitterly. "And we've been practicing all those moves assuming we're playing Slytherin, and instead it's Hufflepuff, and their style's quite different. They've got a new Captain and Seeker, Cedric Diggory -"

All of a sudden, Angelina and Katie giggled.

"What?" said Wood, frowning at this lighthearted behavior.

"He's that tall, good-looking one, isn't he?" said Angelina.

"Strong and silent," said Katie, and they started to giggle again.

Marcus facepalmed himself as Fred said impatiently, "He's only silent because he's too thick to string two words together. I don't know why you're worried, Oliver, Hufflepuff is a pushover. Last time we played them, Harry caught the Snitch in about five minutes, remember?"

"We were playing in completely different conditions!" Wood shouted, his eyes bulging slightly. "Diggory's put a very strong side together! He's an excellent Seeker! I was afraid you'd take it like this! We mustn't relax! We must keep our focus! Slytherin is trying to wrong-foot us! We _must_ win!"

"Oliver, calm down!" said Fred, looking slightly alarmed. "We're taking Hufflepuff very seriously. _Seriously_."

The day before the match, the winds reached howling point and the rain fell harder than ever. It was so dark inside the corridors and classrooms that extra torches and lanterns were lit. The Slytherin team was looking very smug indeed, and none more so than Malfoy.

"Ah, if only my arm was feeling a bit better!" he sighed as the gale outside pounded the windows.

Marcus avoided Wood as much as he could, due to his advice not always being sound. In fact, he went into Defense Against the Dark Arts class ten minutes early just to avoid his overenthusiastic Captain and saw the last person he wanted to see: Professor Snape and, from the look of things, he was acting as the substitute teacher.

Snape narrowed his eyes at the sight of him, but considering he was ten minutes early, he couldn't say anything against him.

He got his book out and glanced over it just to waste time. In fact, he wasn't going to be doing much of any participation in this class. He always found it better to keep his mouth shut and his mind more active when it came to Professor Snape's class.

It wasn't until ten minutes in that something happened. Marcus heard a familiar voice saying, "Sorry I'm late, Professor Lupin, I -"

"This lesson began ten minutes ago, Potter, so I think we'll make it ten points from Gryffindor. Sit down."

"Where's Professor Lupin?" Harry said, clearly not pleased to see Snape.

"He says he is feeling too ill to teach today," said Snape with a twisted smile. "I believe I told you to sit down?"

Marcus heard no sounds of Harry moving, which meant he stayed in the same spot.

"What's wrong with him?"

Snape's black eyes glittered.

"Nothing life-threatening," Snape replied, who looked like he wished that it was. "Five more points from Gryffindor, and if I have to ask you to sit down again, it will be fifty."

Marcus could finally hear Harry moving to his seat and sitting down.

Snape looked around at the class and said, "As I was saying before Potter interrupted, Professor Lupin has not left any record of the topics you have covered so far -"

"Please, sir, we've done boggarts, Red Caps, kappas, and grindylows," said Hermione quickly, "and we're just about to start -"

"Be quiet," said Snape coldly. "I did not ask for information. I was merely commentating on Professor Lupin's lack of organization."

"He's the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher we've ever had," said Dean Thomas boldly, and there was a murmur of agreement from the rest of the class. Snape looked more menacing than ever.

"You are easily satisfied. Lupin is hardly overtaxing you - I would expect first years to be able to deal with Red Caps and grindylows. Today we shall discuss -"

Marcus watched Snape flicking through the textbook to the back, where he knew the class hadn't even come close to getting towards.

" - werewolves," Snape finished.

This caught Marcus off guard, though he was careful not to show it. What would make Snape teach something so bizarrely random like werewolves?

"But, sir," said Hermione, seemingly unable to restrain herself, "we're not supposed to do werewolves yet, we're due to start hinkypunks -"

"Miss Granger," said Snape in a voice of deadly calm, "I was under the impression that I am teaching this lesson, not you. And I am telling you all to turn to page 394." He glanced around again. " _All_ of you! _Now!_ "

 _"Gee, way to sound like an asshole, you frickin' prick,"_ thought Marcus as he flipped to page 394.

Again, Snape whipped around to look at Marcus, who still had a straight face. Marcus started to feel very suspicious of Snape, as every time he thought of something horrible regarding him, he looked to face him.

"Which of you can tell me how we distinguish between the werewolf and the true wolf?" said Snape.

Marcus knew the answer, but decided not to raise his hand, keeping with his policy with Snape as a teacher: Minimum to no participation.

"Anyone?" Snape said, who Marcus knew was ignoring the always raised hand of Hermione's. His twisted smile was back as he stated, "Are you telling me that Professor Lupin hasn't even taught you the basic distinction between -"

"We told you," said Parvati suddenly, "we haven't got as far as werewolves yet, we're still on -"

 _"Silence!"_ snarled Snape. "Well, well, well, I never thought I'd meet a third-year class who wouldn't even recognize a werewolf when they saw one. I shall make a point of informing Professor Dumbledore how very behind you all are..."

"Please, sir," said Hermione, whose hand was still in the air, "the werewolf differs from the true wolf in several small ways. The snout of the werewolf -"

"That is the second time you have spoken out of turn, Miss Granger," said Snape coolly. "Five more points from Gryffindor for being an insufferable know-it-all."

Hermione went very red, put down her hand, and stared at the floor with her eyes full of tears. Marcus had to use every bit of his willpower to retain his bearing and not punch Snape's face in. The rest of the class glared at Snape, a mark of how much everyone loathed Snape. They called Hermione a know-it-all at least once, and Ron, who told Hermione she was a know-it-all at least twice a week, said loudly, "You asked us a question and she knows the answer! Why ask if you don't want to be told?"

This was the reason Marcus didn't participate in Snape's classes, so that he didn't get himself in an irreversible situation. The class knew instantly he'd gone too far, as well. Snape advanced on Ron slowly, and the room held its breath.

"Detention, Weasley," Snape said silkily, his face very close to Ron's. "And if I ever hear you criticize the way I teach a class again, you will be very sorry indeed."

 _"You don't teach, you greasy-haired git,"_ Marcus thought, internally seething with anger. _"You just bully people around because no one likes you."_

Marcus all but confirmed his suspicions when Snape looked back at him, narrowing his eyes dangerously, like he wanted nothing better than to put him in detention.

The room remained quiet while Marcus made his notes on werewolves from the textbook. The more notes he made, the more his mind came back to Uncle Remus. There were a lot of things that seemed to align with his uncle, things that made Marcus very curious.

He then heard Snape say from behind him, "Very poorly explained...That is incorrect, the kappa is more commonly found in Mongolia...Professor Lupin gave this eight out of ten? I wouldn't have given it three..."

Snape then approached Marcus' desk and looked at his parchment on kappas. He didn't say anything, which meant that Marcus had a perfect essay, but he could still feel the stares of his most hated teacher bearing down on him.

At long last, the bell rang, but Snape held them back.

"You will each write an essay, to be handed in to me, on the ways you recognize and kill werewolves. I want two rolls of parchment on the subject, and I want them by Monday morning. It is time somebody took this class in hand. Weasley, stay behind, we need to arrange your detention."

Marcus, Harry, and Hermione left the room with the rest of the class, who waited until they were well out of earshot, then burst into a furious tirade about Snape.

"Snape's never been like this with any of our other Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, even if he did want the job," Harry said to the two of them. "Why's he got it in for Lupin? D'you think this is all because of the boggart?"

"I don't know," said Hermione pensively. "But I really hope Professor Lupin gets better soon..."

There was one thing about the lesson that greatly annoyed Marcus: There was something about the way Snape carried himself, like he knew something about his uncle that not even he knew.

Ron caught up with them five minutes later, in a towering rage, shouting, "D'you know what that -" (he called Snape something that made Hermione say _"Ron!"_ ) "-is making me do? I've got to scrub out the bedpans in the hospital wing. _Without magic!_ " He was breathing deeply, his fists clenched. "Why couldn't Black have hidden in Snape's office, eh? He could have finished him off for us!"

* * *

Marcus woke up early the next morning, but not to do his morning training. Since there was a Quidditch match to play, it was one of the only times Marcus didn't do his training. He went to the common room and looked out the window, noticing how much more fierce the weather grew overnight. He sighed as he knew that this was going to be a rough match, no matter what angle he looked at it from. He took a seat near the fireplace and, not two seconds after doing so, he saw Crookshanks jumping on his lap, purring.

"Hello, Crookshanks," said Marcus, petting his head. "Thanks for your help with Scabbers a while back. Honestly, I didn't think you'd understand my signals."

Crookshanks continued to purr as Marcus said, "Will I be able to count on your help in the future, Crookshanks?"

Crookshanks then rubbed his head against Marcus' torso, indicating that he could rely on the cat.

"That's good to know," said Marcus, smirking.

He then put Crookshanks on the ground as he got up and went back to the dormitory to get dressed.

He was one of the few people that arrived in the Great Hall so early in the morning, but he didn't mean to. He just couldn't stop thinking about the match, in particular Hufflepuff's Chasers. Wood made sure to point them out to Marcus earlier in the week and, while he didn't find them to be any particular threat, he knew that he would have to face both them and the weather, which didn't sit well with him.

He waited for quite a while until Harry showed up, who helped himself to a bit of breakfast. A little while after that, the team turned up.

"It's going to be a tough one," said Wood, who wasn't eating anything.

"Stop worrying, Oliver," said Angelina soothingly, "we don't mind a bit of rain."

But it was considerably more than a bit of rain. Such was the popularity of Quidditch that the whole school turned out to watch the match as usual, but they ran down the lawns toward the Quidditch field, heads bowed against the ferocious wind, umbrellas being whipped out of their hands as they went. Just before Marcus entered the locker room, he saw Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, laughing and pointing at him from under an enormous umbrella on their way to the stadium.

The team changed into their scarlet robes and waited for Wood's usual pre-match pep talk, but it didn't come. He tried to speak several times, made an odd gulping noise, then shook his head hopelessly and beckoned them to follow him.

The wind was so strong that they staggered sideways as they walked out onto the field. If the crowd was cheering, they couldn't hear it over the fresh rolls of thunder. Rain was splattering over Marcus' face. Visibilty was going to be down to a minimum, Marcus noted.

The Hufflepuffs were approaching from the opposite side of the field, wearing canary-yellow robes. The Captains walked up to each other and shook hands; Cedric Diggory smiled at Wood but Wood now looked as though he had lockjaw and merely nodded. Marcus saw Madam Hooch's mouth form the words, "Mount your brooms."

Marcus mounted his Nimbus 2001, knowing that he'd have to get the Quaffle first and adjust to the weather afterwards. Madam Hooch put her whistle to her lips and gave it a blast that sounded shrill and distant.

Marcus shot up and grapsed the Quaffle just in time from the leading Hufflepuff Chaser and started going towards the hoops.

He felt the wind behind him, coming diagonally left. Wood discussed before that passing wasn't going to be an option in this weather, so if him, Angelina, or Katie grabbed the Quaffle, they had to take it down all the way.

Marcus went to his left, avoiding a stealing attempt, and waited until he was close enough to the goal before turning with the wind, giving him an extra boost. He threw it into the nearest goal, knowing the Keeper wouldn't have time to react to his shot.

Despite his success, there was no celebrating from him or his fellow Chasers. They had to use every bit of mental awarness to try and stay out on top.

Marcus saw that Angelina Johnson was right on the heels of the Hufflepuff Chaser, so he tried to go as fast as he could and cut him off. He didn't need to do much; the Quaffle was not enchanted in any way and the Chaser was gripping it too hard under his arm, a mistake in foul weather like the one they were playing in. Marcus screamed across the Chaser's face, startling him just enough for Angelina to steal it and go down the other way. Marcus watched as she made a spectacular shot, scoring for Gryffindor, making them twenty points ahead.

The next three scores were also by Gryffindor. Twice, Marcus dared a pass to Katie Bell to throw off the Keeper and the third attempt was successful due to Marcus dodging a Bludger that hit the Keeper for an easy score.

Marcus was starting to feel optimistic when, after the first flash of lightning, Madam Hooch's whistle blew. Marcus landed with the rest of the team, Wood roaring, "I called for time-out! Come on, under here -"

They huddled at the edge of the field under a large umbrella; Marcus saw Harry taking off his glasses and wiping them hurriedly on his robes.

"What's the score?" Harry asked.

"We're fifty points up," said Wood, "but unless we get the Snitch soon, we'll be playing into the night."

"I've got no chance with these on," Harry said exasperatedly, waving his glasses.

At that very moment, Hermione appeared at his shoulder; she was holding her cloak over her head and was, inexplicably, beaming.

"I've had an idea, Harry! Give me your glasses, quick!"

Marcus watched as Harry handed them to her, and the team watched in amazement as Hermione tapped them with her wand and said, _"Impervius!"_

"There!" she said, handing them back to Harry. "They'll repel water!"

Wood looked as though he could have kissed her.

"Brilliant!" he called hoarsely after her as she disappeared into the crowd. "Okay, team, let's go for it!"

Marcus, knowing the team had Harry back in contention, he renewed his determination to not let Hufflepuff score any points.

He saw one of the Hufflepuff Chasers zooming up the field, trying as hard as he could to score. Marcus, having none of that, screamed down the pitch to the Chaser and intercepted the scoring attempt.

He then proceeded to zoom up the other way, determined to score. He dodged the Chaser that tried to score, then the second one. Noticing a Bludger just in time, Marcus used his right armbrace to bat the Bludger directly into the third Chaser, knocking him off his broom.

The way to the hoops were cleared, with only the Keeper to stop him.

 _"This is it!"_ thought Marcus. _"I have you now!"_

He was within scoring range when it happened.

His eyes started causing him great pain, to the point of wanting to cry. He was seeing everything inverted. His Negative Vision had come back.

 _"What's going on?!"_ thought Marcus, hurrying to pass it to Katie Bell. _"How am I in mortal danger?!"_

That question was answered with a wave of cold, sweeping over him like he was caught in a terrible winter blizzard.

He looked below him and saw at least one hundred dementors, half of which were up looking at Harry, and the other half looking up directly at him. But, only one dementor had Marcus' undivided attention.

That was due to said dementor holding up a familiar and unconscious second-year girl by the throat, who Marcus recognized to be -

 _"Lorelei!"_ thought Marcus. _"NO!"_

Then, he heard a voice. A high, cold, and slow disembodied voice call out, _"Come, Williams."_

He somehow knew that the dementor holding Lorelei was challenging him, to take him on.

Marcus rocketed upward, high above the stadium, and turned around. The wind suddenly shifted, roaring from behind him, straight to the dementor.

"CHALLENGE ACCEPTED, FOUL CREATURE!" roared Marcus as he suddenly rocketed to the dementor.

He was starting to lose consciousness, so he steadily got angrier and angrier, the rush of adrenaline combating against the feeling of blacking out. He urged his broom to go as fast as it could. He didn't care what happened to him. He just wanted to save Lorelei.

Many people screamed, pointing at the rapidly descending Marcus coming down on the dementor. Marcus didn't know how fast he was going, and he didn't care. All he cared about was keeping that speed as he grabbed the dementor and slammed him into the earth, forcing the dementor to release Lorelei.

He was about to blast the Light Spell at the dementor when it grabbed his throat...

* * *

 _He found himself suspended in the middle of the air, unable to move, unable to talk._

 _The Dark Prince was talking. About himself, about what he needed to do, and why he'd come._

 _He then brought out an animal's fang, and he became scared. What was he going to do with the fang?_

 _He made Marcus' shirt tear apart and, before the little boy realized, The Dark Prince plunged the fang and made a deep, wide gash across his chest._

 _He wanted to scream with pain, but no sound would come. He was helpless to do anything but cry from the pain._

 _It was nothing compared to what he felt next. The Dark Prince then pointed his wand at him, muttered an incantation, and great searing pain erupted in his body. Horrible, unimaginable pain burned through every inch of his small body. He couldn't take it, the pain was so bad. What had he done to deserve this?_

 _The Dark Prince continued. He made a slash, following it up with the same spell-inducing pain of horror._

 _He then stopped to look at his completed work, and he looked down to find a crown with an X centered in it._

"It's my Mark," _said the Dark Prince._ "This particular mark means I've got you marked for murder."

 _He saw the man leaning towards him, his face unchanging as he continued,_ "You don't realize what you truly have until it's taken away from you, you know? No, of course you don't know. Well, perhaps a little now."

 _He looked to see his dead babysitter and he felt enraged. He wanted nothing more to grab his throat, to wipe him from existence..._

* * *

"MARCUS! MARCUS! STOP!" screamed a familiar voice.

Marcus suddenly snapped out of it and looked around. He was somehow in the hospital wing, sititng up in one of the beds.

He then noticed that he was grabbing the throat of Ron, Hermione looking thoroughly frightened.

He quickly let go and said, "How did I get here?"

"Professor Dumbledore took you," said Hermione quickly as Ron soothed his throat. "You and Harry. After the dementor grabbed your throat, you sort of lost it."

Marcus noticed that his vision was normal again, but he felt pain everywhere else.

"Where's Harry?" asked Marcus.

Hermione pointed to his left, to which Marcus looked and saw Harry, lying unconscious.

"And why is my shirt all warm?" he asked to himself.

He looked down and immediately regretted asking. Blood decorated most of the shirt, forming the shape of a X-filled crown.

He hurried to pull the blanket over him, coming to the conclusion that his scars must've opened up while he was seeing and hearing more of the event on his fifth birthday.

The Gryffindor Quidditch Team came in, asking Marcus how he was doing, to which he told them to check on Harry.

As they did that, Harry's eyes snapped open, looking around him.

"Harry!" said Fred, who looked extremely white underneath the mud. "How're you feeling?"

"What happened?" he said, sitting up so suddenly they all gasped.

"You fell off," said Fred. "Must've been - what - fifty feet?"

"We thought you'd died," said Katie, who was shaking. "You and Marcus."

Hermione made a small, squeaky noise. Her eyes were extremely bloodshot.

"But the match," said Harry. "What happened?"

"Yeah, what happened?" asked Marcus. "Are we doing a replay?"

No one said anything. A terrible thought gripped Marcus.

"We didn't - _lose_?" asked Harry, horrified.

"Diggory got the Snitch," said George. "Just after you fell, Harry. He didn't realize what had happened. When he looked back and saw you on the ground, he tried to call it off. Wanted a rematch. But they won fair and square...even Wood admits it."

Marcus felt angry, sad, and humiliated, all at the same time. Not only had he failed to win against the dementor and was subjected to reliving his worst memory, but his team also lost the match and wasn't going to be allowed a replay?

"Where is Wood?" said Harry.

"Still in the showers," said Fred. "We think he's trying to drown himself."

Marcus looked down, towards his bed, fighting with all his might to hold back the tears. He failed. He failed in every way possible, and everyone saw it. Everyone saw just how much of a failure he was.

He heard Fred say, "C'mon, Harry, you've never missed the Snitch before."

"There had to be one time you didn't get it," said George.

"It's not over yet," said Fred. "We lost by a hundred points, right? So if Hufflepuff loses to Ravenclaw and we beat Ravenclaw and Slytherin..."

"Hufflepuff'll have to lose by at least two hundred points," said George.

"But if they beat Ravenclaw..."

"No way, Ravenclaw is too good. But if Slytherin loses against Hufflepuff..."

"It all depends on the points - a margin of a hundred either way -"

Marcus couldn't hold back the tears anymore. He lost, and if there was one thing he couldn't stand, even above the Dark Prince, it was losing.

After ten minutes or so, Madam Pomfrey came over to tell the team to leave them in peace.

"We'll come and see you both later," Fred told them. "Don't beat yourself up, Harry, you're still the best Seeker we've ever had."

All of a sudden, Marcus heard Angelina's voice saying on his right, "Don't think for one second you let us down, Marcus."

"Yes," said Katie's voice on his left. "You're still the best Chaser on the team."

They kissed his cheeks, then everyone left. Everyone except for Hermione and Ron.

"Dumbledore was really angry," Hermione said in a quaking voice. "I've never seen him like that before. He ran onto the field as you fell, Harry, waved his wand, and you sort of slowed down before you hit the ground. Then he whirled his wand at the dementors. Shot silver stuff at them. They left the stadium right away...He was furious they'd come onto the grounds. We heard him -"

"Then he magicked you both onto stretchers," said Ron. "And walked up to school with you both floating on either side of him. Everyone thought you two were..."

Ron's voice faded, but Marcus hardly noticed.

"Did someone get my Nimbus?" Harry asked.

"Yes, did someone get my broom, as well?" asked Marcus, who just realized that his broom was nowhere to be found.

Ron and Hermione looked quickly at each other.

"Er -"

"What?" said Harry, looking from one to the other.

"Well...when you fell off, it got blown away," said Hermione hesitantly.

"And?"

"And it hit - it hit - oh, Harry - it hit the Whomping Willow."

Marcus saw the blanched look on Harry's face before looking to Ron and saying, "What about mine?"

"Well -"

"Out with it, Ron," said Marcus.

"After you crashed into that dementor, your broom...fell apart," said Ron. "We couldn't retrieve it, there was nothing left of it."

"What about my broom?" asked Harry. "What happened when it hit the Whomping Willow?"

"Well, you know the Whomping Willow," said Ron. "It - it doesn't like being hit."

"Professor Flitwick brought it back just before Marcus came to," said Hermione in a very small voice.

Slowly, she reached down for a bag at her feet, turned it upside down, and tipped a dozen bits of splintered wood and twig onto the bed, the only remains of Harry's broomstick.

Marcus suddenly remembered his prediction from Divination class he said earlier in the term, which terrifed him.

 _"It looks like you'll be attacked during a great storm by something dangerous and having a valued possession getting destroyed in the process, Harry."_

 **And this concludes another chapter of HP: Freedom's Path! Please feel free to leave a review, letting me what you think, as I'm always looking to improve! Also, if you have any questions for me or just want to strike up a conversation, feel free to leave me a PM and, I promise, I will answer any questions (or as much as I'm able to). Until then, keep your eyes peeled for the next chapter of HP: Freedom's Path!**


	9. (09) Getting Directions

**Welcome, everyone, to the next chapter of HP: Freedom's Path! I hope that everyone had a Merry Christmas and that everyone will enjoy bringing in the new year of 2016! I have to admit, it was a bit tough to make progress with the holiday spirit in the air, but I was able to make enough to post another new chapter, just for you all! So, with that...**

 **Disclaimer: I have no ownership of HP, with the exception of OC's.**

 **Now, here's...**

Chapter 09: Getting directions

 **Enjoy, one and all!**

Madam Pomfrey insisted on keeping Marcus and Harry in the hopsital wing for the rest of the weekend. She was not happy with Marcus, as his collision with the dementor resulted in many fractured and broken bones, all of which she healed in minutes. Marcus wanted to resume his training, but knew that it was pointless to try and sway Madam Pomfrey into letting him go any sooner than she wanted him to.

Marcus and Harry each had a stream of visitors, all intent on cheering them up. Hagrid sent them a bunch of earwiggy flowers that looked like yellow cabbages. The Gryffindor team visited again on Sunday morning, this time accompanied by Wood, who told Harry and Marcus (in a hollow, dead sort of voice) that he didn't blame them in the slightest. Ron and Hermione only left their bedsides at night, but on Sunday night, Marcus got a visit from the only person he wanted to see.

After Harry went to sleep Sunday night, Marcus saw the form of Lorelei becoming visible as she said, "Marcus, how are you doing?"

"I'm doing all right," said Marcus. "More importantly, how are you?"

"I'll - I'll be okay," said Lorelei.

"Do you remember anything before the Quidditch match?" asked Marcus.

"I - I remember exiting the castle," said Lorelei, looking troubled. "I only got about a quarter of the way to the Quidditch stadium when I saw a dementor fly up to me. The last thing I remember was that horrible, cold feeling drape over me and - and the next thing I knew, I was inside the stadium."

"That's rather unusual," said Marcus. "Dementors don't usually go out of their way to pick out particular targets...unless -"

Lorelei saw the troubled look on his face and said, "Unless what?"

"Unless they were ordered to," said Marcus, who found himself getting angry. "Someone's gunning for me from behind the scenes, pulling the strings that no one else is seeing. Someone's taking advantage of Sirius Black's break-out to get at me."

"Who?" asked Lorelei. "Who would do that?"

"The Dark Prince," said Marcus through gritted teeth. "It makes perfect sense. The largest amount of Dementors in Europe can be found at Azkaban, where the Dark Prince currently resides. If the Dark Prince found a way to communicate with at least one Dementor, he can still get to me."

"Is he trying to kill you?" asked Lorelei.

"Not right now, he isn't," stated Marcus. "What happened at the Quidditch stadium was a test, to see what I would do. Besides, he'd rather kill me by his own doing than have someone else do the deed."

"Marcus, you need to be careful," said Lorelei.

"Well, I don't intend on willfully go near a dementor, Lorelei," said Marcus.

"No, it's not that," said Lorelei, who looked around to make sure no one was listening. "People around here are starting to know about your Animagus self."

"Wait, people know that I'm an Animagus?" asked Marcus, horrified.

"No, no, not that," hurried Lorelei. "They're aware that there's a lion in the Forbidden Forest. There are many witches and wizards in my class and below that have heard your roars from within the castle. Some are even talking about going out into the Forbidden Forest just to find the lion, in this case, you."

"I'm not worried about them," said Marcus. "I'm only worried if the students in my year and above take interest."

"Well, Fred and George sounded interested," said a worried Lorelei. "I overheard them making plans to go in the Forbidden Forest."

"Well, luckily, Sirius is taking care of business outside Hogwarts right now, so they won't find anything of interest," said Marcus. "Though, this can create problems, if I don't do anything." He sighed before saying, "I guess I'll have to leave a sign to warn students not to come looking for my Animagus form."

"What kind of sign?" asked Lorelei.

"I'm not sure, yet," said Marcus.

The two of them then heard a scuffling noise for a quick second, causing Lorelei to cast the Disillusionment Charm.

"Lorelei," said Marcus. "Please, take care."

"I will, Marcus," said Lorelei as he heard her footsteps exiting the hospital wing.

* * *

Marcus was thoroughly relieved to return to the noise and bustle of the main school on Monday, forcing him to dwell on other things, like resuming his self-training. He noticed that Malfoy was beside himself with glee at Gryffindor's defeat. He had finally taken off his bandages, and celebrated having the full use of both arms again by doing spirited imitations of Harry falling off his broom. In fact, Malfoy spent much of their next Potions class doing dementor imitations across the dungeon; Ron finally cracked and flung a large, slippery crocodile heart at Malfoy, which hit him in the face and caused Snape to take fifty points from Gryffindor.

"If Snape's teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts again, I'm skiving off," said Ron as they headed toward Lupin's classroom after lunch. "Marcus, check who's in there."

Marcus looked into the classroom to find a familiar face.

He felt relief all over as he said, "It's okay!"

His uncle was finally back at work. It certainly looked as though he had been ill. His old robes were hanging more loosely on him and there were dark shadows beneath his eyes; nevertheless, he smiled at the class as they took their seats, and they burst at once into an explosion of complaints about Snape's behavior while his uncle had been ill.

"It's not fair, he was only filling in, why should he give us homework?"

"We don't know anything about werewolves -"

"- two rolls of parchment!"

"Did you tell Professor Snape we haven't covered them yet?" Lupin asked, frowning slightly.

The babble broke out again.

"Yes, but he said we were really behind -"

" - he wouldn't listen -"

" - _two rolls of parchment!"_

His uncle smiled at the look of indignation on every face.

"Don't worry. I'll speak to Professor Snape. You don't have to do the essay."

"Oh, _no_ ," said Hermione, looking very disappointed. "I've already finished it!"

Marcus had already finished it, as well, but he was thouroughly glad that he didn't have to hand it in. He was planning on doing something else, but he was going to wait until the end of the lesson to do it.

The lesson in question was a very enjoyable one. His uncle had brought along a glass box containing a hinkypunk, a little one-legged creature who looked as though he were made of wisps of smoke, rather frail and harmless-looking.

"Lures travelers into bogs," said his uncle as they took notes. "You notice the lantern dangling from his hand? Hops ahead - people follow the light - then -"

The hinkypunk made a horrible squelching noise against the glass.

When the bell rang, everyone gathered up their things and headed for the door. Marcus stayed put, but heard his uncle say, "Wait a moment, Harry, Marcus. I'd like a word."

The two of them approached their teacher while he covered the hinkypunk's box with a cloth.

"I heard about the match," his uncle said, turning back to his desk and starting to pile books into his briefcase, "and I'm sorry about your broomsticks. Are there any chances of fixing them?"

"Not mine, sir," said Harry. "The tree smashed it to bits."

"And mine disintergrated from overtaxing it," said Marcus.

Lupin sighed before saying, "They planted the Whomping Willow the same year that I arrived at Hogwarts. People used to play a game, trying to get near enough to touch the trunk. In the end, a boy called Davey Gudgeon nearly lost an eye, and we were forbidden to go near it. No broomstick would have a chance."

"Did you hear about the dementors too?" said Harry with difficulty.

Lupin looked at them both quickly before replying, "Yes, I did. I don't think any of us have seen Professor Dumbledore that angry. They have been growing restless for some time...furious at his refusal to let them inside the grounds...I suppose they were the reason you fell, Harry, and for your blackout, Marcus?"

"Yes," said the two boys simultaneously.

"Why, though?" asked Marcus, before he could stop himself. "Why do they affect us like that? Are we just -"

"It had nothing to do with weakness," said his uncle sharply, as though he read his mind. "The dementors affect the two of you worse than others because there are horrors in your pasts that the others don't have."

A ray of wintery sunlight fell across the classroom, illuminating his uncle's gray hairs and the lines on his young face.

"Dementors are among the foulest creatures that walk this earth. They infest the darkest, filthiest places, they glory in decay and despair, they drain peace, hope, and happiness out of the air around them. Even Muggles feel their presence, though they can't see them. Get too near a dementor and every good feeling, every happy memory will be sucked out of you. If it can, the dementor will feed on you long enough to reduce you to something like itself...soulless and evil. You'll be left with nothing but the worst experiences of your lives. And the worst that happened to _you_ , boys, is enough to make anyone fall off their broom. You two have nothing to feel ashamed of."

"When they get near me -" Marcus saw Harry staring at his uncle's desk, "- I can hear Voldemort murdering my mum."

His uncle made a sudden motion with his arm as though to grip Harry's shoulder, but thought better of it. There was a moment's silence before Marcus spat with hatred, "Why did they have to come to the match?"

"They're getting hungry," said his uncle coolly, shutting his briefcase with a snap. "Dumbledore won't let them into the school, so their supply of human prey has dried up...I don't think they could resist the large crowd around the Quidditch field. All that excitement...emotions running high...it was their idea of a feast."

"Azkaban must be terrible," Harry muttered. Marcus' uncle nodded grimly.

"The fortress is set on a tiny island, way out to sea, but they don't need walls and water to keep the prisoners in, not when they're all trapped inside their own heads, incapable of a single cheerful thought. Most of them go mad within weeks."

"But Sirius Black escaped from them," Harry said slowly. "He got away..."

Marcus felt his body tense up, his mind going to overdrive. He was hoping to avoid the subject of Sirius Black, especially considering he was helping him.

His uncle's briefcase slipped from the desk; he had to stoop quickly to catch it.

"Yes," he said, straightening up, "Black must have found a way to fight them. I wouldn't have believed it possible...Dementors are supposed to drain a wizard of his powers if left with them too long..."

" _You_ made that dementor on the train back off," said Harry suddenly.

"There are - certain defenses one can use," said Lupin. "But there was only one dementor on the train. The more there are, the more difficult it becomes to resist."

"What defenses?" said Marcus eagerly. "Can you teach us?"

"I don't pretend to be an expert at fighting dementors, Marcus..quite the contrary..."

"But if the dementors come to another Quidditch match, I need to be able to fight them -" Harry began.

"-And I'm getting really sick and tired of feeling helpless against them," Marcus said. "Please, uncle, teach me and Harry."

His uncle looked into their determined faces, hesitated, then said, "Well...all right. I'll try and help. But it'll have to wait until next term, I'm afraid. I have a lot to do before the holidays. I chose a very inconvenient time to fall ill."

"Harry, could you go and get Ron to meet us in the common room?" said Marcus. "I want us to compare our homework in Divination."

"Sure," said Harry. "See you then."

Marcus stayed behind as Harry left the room.

"Is there something else you wanted to speak to me about, Marcus?" his uncle asked. "I assure you, I -"

"Uncle, you're a werewolf, aren't you?" Marcus asked in a steady tone.

He had to know, he couldn't put it off for a single day.

His uncle said sharply, "Marcus, what makes you think -"

"I noticed, when Snape was teaching the class that day, that there was a reason for covering the subject of werewolves," said Marcus, cutting his uncle off. "What that reason is, I don't know. What I do know that he did what he did during that class to get back at you...and for someone to realize your symptoms."

"What -" began his uncle.

"I already completed the essay Snape assigned us," said Marcus, continuing on. "Everything makes sense. You've always been ill at least once a month for as long as I've known you, Uncle. I just didn't realize that it was always at the full moon timeframe. And when we had the lesson over the boggart, when you faced it, it transformed into the moon, a form that few only fear, such as a werewolf. Lastly, when Snape brought you that goblet when Harry and I were in your office, I didn't know at the time, but the contents were none other than the Wolfsbane Potion, which greatly reduces the effects of a werewolf. You wouldn't have taken it if you weren't one yourself."

His uncle looked at him with fear in his eyes and said, "What do you think of me now that you know that your uncle is a monster?"

"I still care about you, Uncle," said Marcus. "Nothing has changed about you in my eyes, Uncle. In fact, there may be a way I can help you get through your transformations."

"How?" asked his uncle.

Marcus looked around and said, "Do you promise? To not tell anyone what I'm about to do?"

"Of course not, Marcus," said his Uncle.

Marcus took a deep breath and shifted into Leo, pushing aside chairs with his mere size.

His uncle gasped, taking a step back before saying, "Marcus, I can't believe it!"

He walked around him as he said, "This is incredible! I would've never imagined it!"

Marcus shifted back into normal as his uncle breathlessly asked him, "How long have you been an Animagus?"

"Since the end of last school year," Marcus responded. "The point is, I can be there for you when you transform, Uncle. Let me help you, please."

"I appreciate it, Marcus," his uncle stated, smiling. "Really, I do. But, I do have a lot to do before the holidays, and some of it requires me to be away."

"All right," said Marcus. "But, if you need me to accompany you while you're transformed, all you have to do is say my Animagus name: Leo."

"I will keep that in mind, Marcus," said his uncle with that same smile as Marcus left the room.

* * *

The prospect of anti-dementor lessons from his uncle, never having to relive that horrendous memory again, and the fact that Ravenclaw flattened Hufflepuff in their Quidditch match at the end of November, Marcus felt happier than he had in a long while. Luckily, Gryffindor was not out of the running after all, although losing another match was not an option. Wood became repossessed of his manic energy, and worked his team as hard as every in the chilly haze of rain that persisted into December. Marcus, to his relief, saw no hint of a Dementor within the grounds. Dumbledore's anger seemed to have done the trick, as the dementors were staying at their stations.

Two weeks before the end of the term, the sky lightened suddenly to a dazzling, opaline white and the muddy grounds were revealed one morning covered in glittering frost. As the buzzing of Christmas spirits were running through the castle, Marcus was eating his breakfast when Archie came landing in front of him, with a letter tied to his left leg.

"Oh, I wonder who this could be from," said Marcus, who untied the letter, opened the envelope, and read:

 _Marcus,_

 _I'm sorry to hear about your loss recently. I couldn't imagine what it would be like to black out in the middle of a Quidditch match like that. Though, your letter had got me thinking. You and your team could use the morale boost, and we could definitely take a break of sorts, so I talked to your headmaster, Professor Dumbledore, and we got the okay to come to Hogwarts and give your team a one-day training session, to help your team get refined a bit. I look forward to seeing you and your team on the Friday morning before the end of term._

 _Signed,_

 _Percival Braxton, Captain of the U.S. All-Stars_

Marcus felt thunderstruck. The U.S. All-Stars, his favorite team, coming to Hogwarts and treating _his_ team to a one-day training session?!

He could barely contain his excitement all through the remaining time of the term, even amongst the holiday cheer.

The students were more excited discussing their plans for the holidays. Both Ron and Hermione had decided to remain at Hogwarts, and though Ron said it was because he couldn't stand two weeks with Percy, and Hermione insisted she needed to use the library, Marcus was not fooled; they were doing it to keep him and Harry company, and he felt grateful for that.

What he was not grateful for was missing out on another Hogsmeade visit, which was going to take place on the very last weekend of the term.

"We can do all our Christmas shopping there!" said Hermione. "Mum and Dad would really love those Toothflossing Stringmints from Honeydukes!"

Resigned to the fact that they would be the only third years staying behind again, Harry borrowed a copy of _Which Broomstick_ from Wood, and decided that they would spend the day reading up on the different makes. They were forced to ride two of the school brooms at team practice, ancient Shooting Stars, which was very slow and jerky; Marcus was really grateful that he was going to get his Firebolt soon.

Marcus could hardly contain his excitement as he was on the Quidditch Field, all ready to go. However, he had to wait another fifteen minutes before the rest of the team showed up, cold and tired.

"Marcus, what in the world are we doing out here this morning?" Wood asked. "All Dumbledore would tell me is that something special was arranged."

Marcus looked up just in time and said, "I think that, if you'll look up, you'll see exactly why."

Everyone else looked up to find seven blurs of red, white, and blue, zooming up above for a couple of seconds before zooming to the ground, each and every one of them landing perfectly.

"Braxton!" said Marcus. "Wow, I can't believe you and everyone else is actually here!"

"Well, we're really glad to be here, Marcus!" said Braxton. "Wow, does it feel good to be back here! So many good memories of Quidditch games."

Marcus could hear the excited murmuring behind him and said, "I'll introduce you to the team I'm playing on."

They first approached Wood and said, "This is Oliver Wood, Captain of the team. He plays as Keeper and is in his final year at Hogwarts."

"Pleasure to meet you, Wood," said Braxton, to which stammered, "It - It's - a pleasure to meet you, sir."

"This is Fred and George Weasley, our Beaters," said Marcus. "They're more mischevious than Bludgers."

"You two definitely remind me of Tyler and Tyrone," said Braxton, smiling. "I can barely keep them out of trouble, but I wouldn't want any other Beaters."

"Thank you, sir," said Fred.

"It's a pleasure to hear such a compliment," said George.

Smirking, Marcus continued, "This is Angelina Johnson and Katie Bell. They're the other Chasers on the team, and are fantastic teammates."

"I imagine Marcus put you two girls through the ropes a bit, huh?" asked Braxton.

"Not too much, sir," said Bell. "He's really helped us improve."

"Yes, definitely," said Johnson. "We're the best set of Chasers at Hogwarts."

"And last, but certainly not least, our Seeker, Harry Potter," said Marcus.

"Wait a minute," said Braxton. "Was your father's name James?"

"Uh, yes, sir," said Harry.

"Wow, I can't believe I'm meeting his boy after all these years," exclaimed Braxton, who vigorously shook his hand. "I can't say I'm surprised. Let me tell you, Harry, your father was the best Chaser I've ever had the pleasure to play Quidditch with. It's only natural for you to be a good Quidditch player, but I'm really glad to see you're not exactly following in his footsteps. Seeker definitely suits you the best."

"Um, thank you, sir," said Harry, who didn't know what else to say.

"All right, shall we begin the training?" asked Braxton, to which all the Gryffindor Quidditch players agreed vehemently.

It was a blast. Each of the U.S. All-Stars showed them neat tricks and tips for playing, some of which not even Marcus knew about. And it was clear that the All-Stars were having a great time, which was much needed for them. Marcus knew that it couldn't be easy contending for something as huge as the Quidditch World Cup.

Near the end, Braxton flew to him and said, "Marcus, what year did you say Wood was?"

"He's in his final year," said Marcus. "After this, I'm sure he's going to try to get into the next level of Quidditch."

"I see," said Braxton, stroking his chin. "He's a little overenthusiastic, and a little rough around the edges, but he works hard, real hard. Good instincts, and a go-getter."

"What is it, Braxton?" asked Marcus.

"Oh, nothing," said Braxton. "So, how's the Nimbus 2001 working out for you?"

"Well," said Marcus, a little uncomfortable. "It disintergrated. I pushed it beyond its limit."

"Well, that's a bummer," said Braxton. "What are you replacing it with?"

"A Firebolt," said Marcus with a smirk. "Should be coming in any day now."

"The team should be getting theirs tomorrow," said Braxton, smiling. "We'll need them, especially for the upcoming teams."

Marcus knew exactly what he was talking about. Their fourth round opponent was the Brazil International Team, widely considered the dark horse of the tournament and, if they won against them, they would be going up against the Irish International Team in the semifinals, which in Marcus' mind was the real Quidditch World Cup match, for whoever was going to win that match would most likely win the whole thing.

"Any idea where they'll be located?" asked Marcus.

"Both will be home field," stated Braxton. "Not that that brings much comfort. Well, shall we gather everyone up?"

"Of course," said Marcus as the two of them flew to the ground.

* * *

The next morning, the morning of the Hogsmeade trip, Marcus and Harry bid good-bye to Ron and Hermione, who were wrapped in cloaks and scarves, then turned up the marble staircase alone, and headed back toward Gryffindor Tower. Snow had started to fall outside the windows, and the castle was very still and quiet.

"Psst - Harry! Marcus!"

Marcus turned, halfway along the third-floor corridor, to see Fred and George peering out at them from behind a statue of a hump-backed, one-eyed witch.

"What are you doing?" said Harry curiously.

"How come you two aren't going to Hogsmeade?" asked Marcus.

"We've come to give you two a bit of festive cheer before we go," said Fred, with a mysterious wink. "Come on, in here..."

He nodded toward an empty classroom to the left of the one-eyed statue. Marcus and Harry followed Fred and George inside. George closed the door quietly and then turned, beaming, to look at them.

"Early Christmas present for you, boys," he said.

Fred pulled something from inside his cloak with a flourish and laid it on one of the desks. It was a large, square, very worn piece of parchment with nothing written on it. Marcus didn't know what to make of it.

"What's that supposed to be?" Harry asked.

"This, Harry, is the secret to our success," said George, patting the parchment fondly.

"It's a wrench, giving it to you two," said Fred, "but we decided last night, your needs' greater than ours."

"Anyway, we know it by heart," said George. "We bequeath it to the two of you. We don't really need it anymore."

Marcus, not believing a word they were saying, enhanced his vision and looked at the old bit of parchment.

Marcus could see lines upon golden lines forming into squares, tiny ink dots going to different places. Marcus then realized that the squares were rooms, rooms that were in Hogwarts. In fact, this parchment covered virtually every bit of ground in Hogwarts and where its inhabitants were.

"And what would the two of us need with a bit of old parchment?" Harry asked.

"Harry, this is no mere bit of parchment!" said Marcus, excited. "It's amazing!"

"I knew you'd catch on, Marcus, especially with your enhanced vision," said Fred, who bowed to him. "Fred, explain to Harry."

"Well...when we were in our first year, Harry - young, carefree, and innocent -"

Marcus and Harry snorted in unison. If Fred and George were ever innocent, Marcus would never believe it to be true.

"- well, more innocent than we are now - we got into a spot of bother with Filch."

"We let off a Dungbomb in the corridor and it upset him for some reason -"

"So he hauled us off to his office and started threatening us with the usual -"

"-detention-"

"-disembowelment-"

"- and we couldn't help noticing a drawer in one of his filing cabinets marked _Confiscated and Highly Dangerous."_

Marcus felt a grin coming on as Harry said, "Don't tell us -"

"Well, what would you two have done?" said Fred. "George caused a diversion by dropping another Dungbomb, I whipped the drawer open and grabbed - _this_."

"It's not as bad as it sounds, you know," said George. "We don't reckon Filch ever found out how to work it. He probably suspected what it was, though, or he wouldn't have confiscated it."

"And I presume you two know how to work this?" Marcus asked.

"Oh, yes," said Fred, smirking. "This little beauty's taught us more than all the teachers in this school."

"You're winding us up," said Harry, who was looking at the ragged old bit of parchment.

"Oh, are we?" said George.

He took out his wand, touched the parchment lightly, and said, _"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."_

And at once, the thin lines Marcus saw before started to form on the parchment, spreading like a spider's web from the point that George's wand had touched. They joined each other, they crisscrossed, they fanned into every corner of the parchment; then words began to blossom across the top, great, curly green words, that proclaimed:

 _Messrs. Moony, Maney, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs  
Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers  
are proud to present  
_ **THE MARAUDER'S MAP**

As Marcus surmised, it was a map showing every detail of the Hogwarts castle and grounds. But the thing that amazed Marcus the most was the tiny ink dots moving around it, each labeled with a name in minuscule writing. Astounded, Marcus and Harry bent over it. Marcus saw a labeled dot in the top left corner showing Professor Dumbledore pacing his study; the caretaker's cat, Mrs. Norris, was prowling the second floor; and Peeves the Poltergeist was currently bouncing around the trophy room. And, amongst the normal passages, Marcus noticed a set of passages he never knew existed, many of which seemed to lead -

"Right into Hogsmeade," said Fred, tracing one of them with his finger. "There are seven in all. Now, Filch knows about these four" - he pointed them out - "but we're sure we're the only ones who know about _these_. Don't bother with the one behind the mirror on the fourth floor. We used it until last winter, but it's caved in - completely blocked. And we don't reckon anyone's ever used this one, because the Whomping Willow's planted right over the entrance. But this one here, this one leads right into the cellar of Honeydukes. We've used it loads of times. And as the two of you might've noticed, the entrance is right outside this room, through the one-eyed old crone's hump."

"Moony, Maney, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs," sighed George, patting the heading of the map. "We owe them so much."

"Noble men, working tirelessly to help a new generation of law-breakers," said Fred solemnly.

"Right," said George briskly. "Don't forget to wipe it after you've used it -"

"- or anyone can read it," Fred said warningly.

"Just tap it again and say, 'Mischief managed!' And it'll go blank."

"So, young Harry, young Marcus," said Fred, in an uncanny impersonation of Percy," mind you behave yourselves."

"See you two in Honeydukes," said George, winking.

They left the room, both smirking in a satisfied sort of way.

As Marcus stood there, gazing at the map, he couldn't help but feel that his path was finally open. He only wanted to go to Omnifabrics. The other stores could wait until he was allowed to go there.

Marcus saw Harry tracing the secret passage to Honeydukes with his finger.

As if there minds were one, Harry rolled up the map, stuffed it inside his robes, and the two of them hurried to the door of the classroom. Marcus opened it up a couple of inches to see no one outside. Marcus waved Harry to follow behind him as they very carefully edged out of the room and behind the statue of the one-eyed witch.

The pathway was before them, but how could they access it? Marcus saw Harry pulling out the map again and saw, to their astonishment, that new ink figures had appeared upon it, labeled _Harry Potter_ and _Marcus Williams_. Their figures were standing exactly where the real Harry and Marcus were standing, about halfway down the third-floor corridor. Marcus watched intently as the two ink spots appeared to be tapping the witch with their wands. Harry quickly took out his real wand and tapped the statue. Nothing happened. Marcus was still watching as the tiniest of speech bubbles had appeared next to their figures. The word inside said, _"Dissendium."_

 _"Dissendium!"_ Harry whispered, tapping the stone witch again.

At once, the statue's hump opened wide enough to admit a fairly thin person. Harry glanced quickly up and down the corridor, then gave Marcus the go ahead as he tucked the map away again. Marcus went headfirst, sliding down a considerable way on what felt like a stone slide before landing on cold, damp earth. Marcus stood up as Harry came behind him. It was pitch dark, and even his enhanced vision would be of no help here.

 _"Lumos!"_ said Marcus, pointing straight ahead.

His wand lit all of the very narrow, low, earthly passageway fully. As Harry raised the map, tapped it with the tip of his wand, and mutter, "Mischief managed!" Marcus said, "Listen, Harry, the moment we get to the other side, I'm going to put the Disillusionment Charm on myself and head straight for Omnifabrics. Tell Ron and Hermione that I had to do my training session early or something. We'll meet back up during dinner after we've done what we want to do in Hogsmeade, okay?"

"Sounds good," said Harry, and the two of them started going down the passage.

It twisted and turned, feeling more like the burrow of a giant rabbit than anything else. Marcus went as fast as he could, but he could only go so fast when the space he had to work with was small to begin with.

After what felt like an hour, Marcus pointed his wand up and saw an endless staircase.

He decided in this moment to cast the Disillusionment Charm on himself and go on ahead, climbing the stairs and hearing Harry's footsteps behind him. He was mentally preparing himself to avoid the wonders that was going to be on the other side of the door and make his way straight to Omnifabrics.

Finally, at long last, he arrived at a trapdoor. He opened it and quickly got out, making sure Harry went through and closed it behind him before he went upstairs from Honeydukes' basement.

He could see all the different varieties of amazing candy, but his focus was on the door. He weaved flawlessly through the gaggle of Hogwarts students as he exited the door.

He looked down the street, first to his left, then to his right. He glanced down his left side again and saw it: At the end of the street was a rather large one floor building with a sign that said "Omnifabrics".

The walk towards the store was particularly challenging, as his footprints could still be seen in the snow. However, he made it work as he hid himself at the side of the building, rendered himself visible, and quickly made his way inside the store.

Marcus looked just in time to see a rather tall man...tall and absolutely ripped from head to toe. He had to be at least 6'5", perhaps weighing 265 pounds of nothing but muscle. He had shoulder length black hair and was wearing a suit that was definitely tailored to his body, because Marcus knew there was no normal suit meant for this man.

The huge man turned around and said, "Welcome to Omni -" He looked upon the figure of Marcus and said, "Aren't you supposed to be up at Hogwarts right now?"

"Wait, sir!" said Marcus in a hushed voice. "I had to come. I'm looking for materials to replace my battle suit."

"I don't know," said the man. "I was told that the Minister's going to be here any minute. I don't want to get in trouble."

"And you won't," said Marcus. "As soon as I've conducted my business here, I'll be heading straight back to the castle. I promise."

The huge man, who was stroking his slightly bearded chin, said, "All right. I can't turn away a customer who did everything he could to come to my store. Anyway, welcome to Omnifabrics. You said you needed a new battle suit, huh? Got any idea how you want it?"

"I happen to have a picture of what it looks like," said Marcus as he got out the picture of his former battle suit.

He handed it to what Marcus surmised to be the store owner and the man said, "Hmm...pretty interesting setup you have here. I take it the armguards are permanent?"

Marcus, surprised, said, "How did you know?"

"I know Mr. Nilrem's equipment products when I see them," said the man, who Marcus just noticed had a deep voice, but kind. "Anyway, you'll be looking for a flexible, but durable battle cloak, probably a modified hood to keep over your head in any situation. Just a little breathing room for the pants, but not enough to interfere with movements like running or kicking. The boots and gloves will have to be dragon hide, as you look like a young man who utilizes them more so than most magic folk. Otherwise, they'll go bad within weeks. The belts, I could contact Mr. Nilrem, see if he has any that have a holster for a nodachi blade. Your last set of belts didn't really accomodate for that too well. But the undershirt...that's going to be tricky."

Marcus, whose mind was blown away, said, "What do you mean, sir?"

"You're getting into the part of life where your body is starting to undergo rapid changes," the man stated. "More often than not, this means getting taller and leaner or more built, depending on your actions and genetics. The pants, boots, and gloves can be replaced, but I don't want to make new undershirts or cloaks every time you undergo a growth spurt. I want to knock that out one time and one time only."

"How do you -" Marcus began.

"I can tell what a person's like just by what they wear," said the store owner. "And, from what I see, you are a person that fights only when he needs to. You don't flaunt, you don't even want to be recognized. You just want to do the right thing. Though, you put yourself through extensive, strenuous training daily to make sure you're ready when the time comes."

Marcus wanted to say something, but the store owner continued, "All right, let's get you measured. Step up to the platform."

Marcus looked to where the man was pointing and saw mirrors forming a half circle around a circular platform raised six inches off the ground at the other side of the store.

As Marcus got on, he said, "I thought this place would be covered with all sorts of fabrics."

"I keep all my fabrics in a separate part of the store, protected by many complex spells," said the store owner, who was measuring Marcus with a measuring tape. "This prevents any idiots from thinking that they can come into my store and rob my merchandise."

"Well, that's pretty clever," said Marcus.

"Hmm," said the store owner as he finished measuring his client. "Your muscles are going to be going through a great amount of flux over the next few years. I'll have to account for that when I make the undershirt and the cloak. All right, I'll be right back."

For the longest time, Marcus was wondering what the store owner was going to bring out. Would it be cotton, silk, perhaps even something strechy?

What he brought out was a multitude of different fabrics, but what caught Marcus' attention was -

"This is a rare dragon hide," said the store owner, holding up a giant, grey dragon hide piece. "An associate of mine was lucky enough to get his hands on this over the summer and, from what I can tell, it's the best of its kind. The only problem is that it's awfully picky when it comes to people. I need you to grab it before I proceed."

"Um, okay," said Marcus. He grabbed the dragon hide and, immediately, the grey dragon hide went white, shining like diamonds.

"I thought so," said the store owner. "Figures it would."

"Would what, sir?" asked Marcus, who didn't catch everything he said.

"Don't worry about it," said the store owner. "Regardless, I'll make the gloves and boots normally, but as far as the undershirt is concerned, I'll have to use a different material to hold it together. Perhaps I'll use my remaining stock of my best material. It's a risky bet, but I think it'll be worth it."

Marcus noticed that the store owner mainly talked to himself, most likely due to trying to bring out the best in the finished work.

"Oh, and by the way, I'd get over your hatred of the color white, if I were you," said the store owner.

"What the - how did you know that, Mr. - um -"

"Xerk," said the store owner. "You had an all black battle suit, which means you think yourself corrupted, evil. Believe me, young man, I've seen plenty of those kind of people. You're not that. White suits you the best, so that's what I'm going to make your battle suit out to be."

"Fair enough," grunted Marcus, who wasn't entirely happy with hearing that.

"All right, I've gotten the necessary measures and materials," said Mr. Xerk. "I should be done by Christmas Eve. Now, it's time for cost."

"How much?" Marcus said, almost fearing the answer.

"Ten thousand galleons," said Mr. Xerk.

Marcus found himself shocked. Four times the cost of a Firebolt just to make his battle suit?! He knew he didn't have that amount of money stored in his vault. Heck, he only just recovered from his last big purchase, which ironically was the Firebolt.

"Why so much?!" asked Marcus.

"Your undershirt alone makes for half the bill," said Mr. Xerk. "It'll take some time to make that particular dragon hide work with the materials I have. The rest shouldn't take nearly as long."

"Here's what I'll do," said Mr. Xerk, looking at the still shocked look on Marcus' face. "I'll make the battle suit, and the moment you're able to pay the entire amount, I'll make sure it gets to you. How's that?"

"That's fair, sir," said Marcus.

"Now, I believe I see Hogwarts students making their way back to the castle, so you'd better cast that Disillusionment Charm and hurry on back."

Marcus looked at him in shock and asked, "How did you -"

"Merely observant of my surroundings," said Mr. Xerk. "Now, get going!"

"Right, right," said Marcus as he casted the Disillusionment Charm and booked it to Honeydukes.

 **And this concludes another chapter of HP: Freedom's Path! Please feel free to leave a review, letting me know what you think of this book so far! Or, if you want to ask me a question or two, please feel free to leave me a PM and, I promise, I will answer any questions to the best of my abilities without giving anything away! With that, keep yourselves on the lookout for the next chapter of HP: Freedom's Path!**


	10. (10) An Unlucky Christmas

**Hello, everyone, and welcome to the next chapter of HP: Freedom's Path! This comes extremely late, but it's only because I've been working on the next book and, since I've made a lot of progress with it, I feel that it's time to post another chapter once again. This chapter is dedicated to the late Alan Rickman, who portrayed the finest Professor Snape that was ever possible. May God rest his soul.**

 **Also...**

 **Disclaimer: No ownership of Harry Potter, save for OC's.**

 **Now, here's...**

Chapter 10: An Unlucky Christmas

 **Enjoy, everyone!**

It was even harder to get back to Honeydukes than it was to get to Omnifabrics, and Marcus almost was discovered a few times, but he managed to get into Honeydukes, get down into their basement, and through the trapdoor.

During his return trip through the secret passageway, Marcus kept thinking up with ways to accumulate that many Galleons. He could make his bets even larger with Mr. Booker, but he shot down that idea as soon as he thought that, due to the fact that he couldn't take the risk of losing what money he currently had. Each idea he came up with was more absurd than the previous, eventually coming to the conclusion that he'd have to wait a long time before getting himself a new battle suit.

He didn't see Harry, Ron, or Hermione until dinner, as he planned. However, upon his arrival, he was about to ask how Harry's trip went when he saw his face, full of confusion and shock. Something had happened to Harry, something bad. He didn't need his enhanced vision to know that the trip negatively affected Harry, and he was going to find out here soon.

As Harry was not in a talking mood after dinner, Marcus made straight for the Room of Requirement, where he knew Lorelei was waiting for him.

Upon entering the room, Lorelei said, "There are you, Marcus! Where've you been all day?"

Marcus saw Lorelei and said, "That's an interesting question. Here's what happened..."

He proceeded to tell her everything that happened, from Fred and George giving Harry and him the Maurader's Map, to going to Hogsmeade, and finally being able to visit Omnifabrics and even having his battle suit being in the works.

"And then he told me the cost," said Marucs, who felt physically ill.

"How much did he say it'd cost?"

"Ten thousand galleons," replied Marcus in a hollow voice.

"Wow," said Lorelei, looking shocked. "And Mr. Xerk wouldn't budge on the price?"

"Didn't bother asking," said Marcus. "Even if he knocked off a couple thousand galleons, I still won't be able to afford it."

"Well, I'm sure something good will happen," said Lorelei. "Just like last year, remember."

"Oh, yes," said Marcus with a smirk.

He knew what Lorelei was referring to: Around this time last year, Lorelei managed to find Marcus in the Room of Requirement with Professor Dumbledore's advice. Not only did they become friends, but they also became training partners. Marcus recalled how rough his training partner's physical workouts were going. Now, however, she was able to keep up with him, which was impressive for only a year's worth of training.

He looked at Lorelei closely and couldn't help but admire how far she'd come. She saw him looking and said, "Is everything all right?"

Marcus quickly looked away and said, "Yeah, everything's all right. Nothing wrong here."

But, even as he said that, he felt his face getting hot, confusing him to no end.

 _"What was that just now?!"_ he thought. _"I have to be careful!"_

"Marcus," said Lorelei. "How come you don't show your emotions?"

This question affected him greatly. Not only did it bring him back to reality, but it hardened his heart.

"I show emotions all the time, Lorelei," said Marcus.

"I mean, how come you don't smile, or laugh?" she clarified. "All I ever see you do is smirk."

Marcus took a deep breath as he said, "I don't want to come across as weak or vulnerable. If I were to smile or laugh, there are people who would find the source of my happiness or laughter and take it away from me. I can't risk that."

"Surely, you're not talking about -?"

"Yes," said Marcus. "The Dark Prince. I don't want him, or anyone who are Dark Magic practicioners, to find ways of getting to me, exposing weaknesses."

"Marcus," said Lorelei, who he noticed was right behind him, "I can see why you won't smile or laugh with lots of people around. But, I don't think there's any harm in smiling or laughing when you're with your friends."

"Well, you do bring up a valid point," said Marcus, who felt his face getting hot again. "Which reminds me, we have to get started on our training!"

Marcus turned around to face Lorelei, who put some space inbetween them, a blush on her face, and said, "Yes, we haven't done our training yet! Let's get started!"

* * *

Marcus awoke the next morning, did his workout in the Room of Requirement with Lorelei, went back to the dormitory, showered, and went down to the common room.

It wasn't long before Ron and Hermione joined him. Marcus looked over the American schoolbook Edwards gave him over the summer, debating on what unique spells should he and Lorelei should train on next while. Hermione spread all of her homework over three tables and went to work while Ron started eating a Peppermint Frog.

As Lorelei came into the common room, Hermione looked in the direction of the male dormitory entrance, gasped, and said, "Harry, you - you look terrible."

Marcus looked in the direction that Hermione was and found Harry, dressed and looking rather pale. He surmised that he didn't sleep well last night.

"Where is everyone?" asked Harry.

"Gone! It's the first day of the holidays, remember?" said Ron, watching Harry closely. "It's nearly lunchtime; I was going to come and wake you up in a minute."

Harry sat next to Marcus by the fireplace. Crookshanks was also nearby, spread out in front of the fire like a large, ginger rug.

"You really don't look well, you know," Hermione said, peering anxiously into his face.

"I'm fine," said Harry.

"Harry, listen," said Hermione, exchanging a look with Ron, "you must be really upset about what we heard yesterday. But the thing is, you mustn't go doing anything stupid."

"Wait, what did Harry hear yesterday?" asked Marcus.

Hermione then proceeded to tell Marcus everything that happened at the Three Broomsticks, and Marcus found his body tensing up. Harry had heard the story that everyone else believed to be true, and Marcus was sure that was going to complicate things.

"What do you mean by 'doing something stupid', Hermione," asked Harry.

"Like trying to go after Black," said Ron sharply.

Marcus could tell by their voices that Ron and Hermione had gone over what they were going to say to Harry. He planned on keeping his mouth shut as much as he could.

"You won't, will you, Harry?" said Hermione.

"Because Black's not worth dying for," said Ron.

Harry looked at them in a disbelieving kind of way before saying, "D'you know what I see and hear every time a dementor gets too near me?" Ron and Hermione shook their heads, looking apprehensive. "I can hear my mum screaming and pleading with Voldemort. And if you'd heard your mum screaming like that, just about to be killed, you wouldn't forget it in a hurry. And if you found out someone who was supposed to be a friend of hers betrayed her and sent Voldemort after her -"

"There's nothing you can do!" said Hermione, looking stricken. "The dementors will catch Black and he'll go back to Azkaban and - and serve him right!"

"You heard what Fudge said. Black isn't affected by Azkaban like normal people are. It's not a punishment for him like it is for the others," Harry stated.

"So what are you saying?" said Ron, looking very tense. "You want to - to kill Black or something?"

"Don't be silly," said Hermione in a panicky voice. "Harry doesn't want to kill anyone, do you, Harry?"

Marcus knew that the conversation was going from bad to worse. Harry didn't know the whole story, he didn't know the truth. But, how could he? He only knew what everyone else believed.

"Malfoy knows," Harry said abruptly. "Remember what he said to me in Potions? 'If it was me, I'd hunt him down myself...I'd want revenge.'"

"You're going to take Malfoy's advice instead of ours?" said Ron furiously. "Listen...you know what Pettigrew's mother got back after Black had finished with him? Dad told me - the Order of Merlin, First Class, and Pettigrew's finger in a box. That was the biggest bit of him they could find. Black's a madman, Harry, and he's dangerous -"

"Malfoy's dad must have told him," said Harry, who was ignoring Ron. "He was right in Voldemort's inner circle -"

 _"Say You-Know-Who, will you?"_ interjected Ron angrily.

"- so obviously, the Malfoys knew Black was working for Voldemort -"

"- and Malfoy'd love to see you blown into about a million pieces, like Pettigrew! Get a grip, Malfoy's just hoping you'll get yourself killed before he has to play you at Quidditch."

"Harry, _please_ ," said Hermione, her eyes now shining with tears, " _please_ be sensible. Black did a terrible, terrible thing, but d-don't put yourself in danger, it's what Black wants...Oh, Harry, you'd be playing right into Black's hands if you went looking for him. Your mum and dad wouldn't want you to get hurt, would they? They'd never want you to go looking for Black!"

"I'll never know what they'd have wanted, because thanks to Black, I've never spoken to them," said Harry shortly.

Marcus dared a glance at Lorelei, who was looking back at him with the same look of uncertainty. They had discussed bringing Harry to see Sirius in the Forbidden Forest when Sirius was back, so that they could let Harry learn the truth. However, all hopes and plans of doing so were now dashed, now that Harry had took what the two of them knew to be lies and wholeheartedly believed it. Marcus didn't necessarily blame Harry, though. After all, other than Pettigrew being alive and being an Animagus, there was no proof that Sirius was innocent of the crimes brought against him and Marcus knew how influential traumatic memories from the past were.

As Crookshanks stretched luxuriously, flexing his claws and making Ron's pocket shiver, Ron said, "Look, it's the holidays! It's nearly Christmas! Let's - let's go down and see Hagrid. We haven't visited him for ages!"

"No!" said Hermione quickly. "Neither Harry or Marcus are supposed to leave the castle, Ron -"

"Yeah, let's go," said Harry, sitting up," and I can ask him how come he never mentioned Black when he told me all about my parents!"

Marcus, who didn't want Harry to delve into the subject of Sirius Black further, said, "I think I recall Hagrid being busy with his gamekeeping duties today, Harry. I don't think he'll -"

"I don't care," said Harry. "We're going to Hagrid's."

As they went to get their cloaks from the dormitories, Marcus turned to Lorelei and said, "Discussion before training tonight. Get there early."

"Understood," said Lorelei, who went to the dormitory herself.

Marcus quickly got his cloak and joined the others as they made their way through the portrait hole, down through the empty castle and out through the oak front doors.

They made their way slowly down the lawn, making a shallow trench in the glittering, powdery snow, their socks and the hems of their cloaks soaked and freezing. The Forbidden Forest looked as though it had been enchanted, each tree smattered with silver, and Hagrid's cabin looked like an iced cake.

Ron knocked, but there was no answer.

"He's not out, is he?" said Hermione, who was shivering under her cloak.

Ron had his ear to the door before saying, "There's a weird noise. Listen - is that Fang?"

The rest of them put their ears to the door too. From inside the cabin came a series a low, throbbing moans.

"Think we'd better go and get someone?" said Ron nervously.

"We should at least get Dumbledore," said Marcus, eager to not be where they currently were. "He should be in the castle."

"Hagrid!" called Harry, thumping the door. "Hagrid, are you in there?"

Before Marcus could scold him, he heard the sounds of heavy footsteps coming to the door before the door creaked open. Hagrid stood there with his eyes red and swollen, tears splashing down the front of his leather vest.

"Yeh've heard?" he bellowed, and he flung himself onto Harry's neck.

Hagrid being at least twice the size of a normal man, this was no laughing matter. Marcus quickly seized an arm, Ron and Hermione seizing the other, and the four of them heaved him back into the cabin. Hagrid allowed himself to be steered into a chair and slumped over the table, sobbing uncontrollably, his face glazed with tears that dripped down into tangled beard.

"Hagrid, what _is_ it?" said Hermione, aghast.

Marcus spotted what he knew was a Ministry of Magic official notification letter, and those were usually never good.

"What's this, Hagrid," asked Harry, who spotted the letter as well.

Hagrid's sobs redoubled, but he shoved the letter toward Harry, who picked it up and read aloud:

 _Dear Mr. Hagrid,_

 _Further to our inquiry into the attack by a hippogriff on a student in your class, we have accepted the assurances of Professor Dumbledore that you bear no responsibility for the regrettable incident._

"Well, that's okay then, Hagrid!" said Ron, clapping Hagrid on the shoulder. But Hagrid continued to sob, and waved one of his gigantic hands, inviting Harry to read on.

 _However, we must register our concern about the hippogriff in question. We have decided to uphold the official complaint of Mr. Lucius Malfoy, and this matter will therefore be taken to the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures. The hearing will take place on April 20th, and we ask you to present yourself and your hippogriff at the Committee's offices in London on that date. In the meantime, the hippogriff should be kept tethered and isolated.  
Yours in fellowship..._

As Marcus looked at the list of of the school governors, he knew that having to go up against the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures was a slippery slope, especially if Malfoy's father was the opposition.

"Oh," said Ron. "But you said Buckbeak isn't a bad hippogriff, Hagrid. I bet he'll get off -"

"Yeh don't know them gargoyles at the Committee fer the Disposal o' Dangerous Creatures!" choked Hagrid, wiping his eyes on his sleeve. "They've got it in fer interestin' creatures!"

"Hagrid's right," said Marcus. "The last twenty cases over the course of three years have not gone in favor of the accused. This will be tough."

A sudden sound from the corner of Hagrid's cabin made Marcus, Harry, Ron, and Hermione whip around. Buckbeak the hippogriff was lying in the corner, chomping on something that was oozing blood all over the floor.

"I couldn't leave him tied up out there in the snow!" choked Hagrid. "All on his own! At Christmas."

The four of them looked at one another. They had never seen eye to eye with Hagrid about what he called "interesting creatures" and other people called "terrifying monsters." On the other hand, there didn't seem to be any particular harm in Buckbeak. To Marcus, hippogriffs were more of the remarkable creatures.

"You'll have to put up a good strong defense, Hagrid," said Hermione, sitting down and laying a hand on Hagrid's massive forearm. "I'm sure you can prove Buckbeak is safe."

"Won't make no diff'rence!" sobbed Hagrid. "Them Disposal devils, they're all in Lucius Malfoy's pocket! Scared o' him! An' if I lose the case, Buckbeak -"

Hagrid drew his finger swiftly across his throat, then gave a great wail and lurched forward, his face in his arms.

"Hagrid, I could always ask for my father for advice," said Marcus. "He's had to deal with low-lives like the ones on that committee numerous times."

"I can't ask that of yer father, Marcus," said Hagrid between sobs. "He already 'as enough on his plate."

"What about Dumbledore, Hagrid?" said Harry.

"He's done more'n enough fer me already," groaned Hagrid. "Got enough on his plate what with keepin' them dementors outta the castle, an' Sirius Black lurkin' around -"

Marcus found himself tense again. It was true that Sirius was lurking on Hogwarts grounds, but not since November, which would make little difference to the school's situation. He looked to Harry, since he was the one eager to bring this topic up to Hagrid, but after looking at him, Marcus could tell his friend wasn't going to bring the subject up, not with Hagrid's current condition.

"Listen, Hagrid," he said, "you can't give up. Hermione's right, you just need a good defense. You can call us as witnesses -"

"I'm sure I've read about a case of hippogriff-baiting," said Hermione thoughtfully, "where the hippogriff got off. I'll look it up for you, Hagrid, and see exactly what happened."

Hagrid continued to howl, even louder than before. Marcus looked to Ron for assistance.

"Er - shall I make a cup of tea?" said Ron.

Marcus looked at him, half-disbelief, half-exasperation.

"It's what my mum does whenever someone's upset," Ron muttered, shrugging.

At last, after many more assurances of help, with a steaming mug of tea in front of him, Hagrid blew his nose on a handkerchief the size of a tablecloth and said, "Yer right. I can' afford to go ter pieces. Gotta pull meself together..."

Fang the boarhound came timidly out from under the table and laid his head on Hagrid's knee.

"I've not bin meself lately," said Hagrid, stroking Fang with one hand and mopping his face with the other. "Worried abou' Buckbeak, an' no one likin' me classes -"

"We do like them!" lied Hermione at once.

"Yeah, they're great!" said Ron, crossing his fingers under the table. Marcus couldn't say anything. He wasn't about to lie just to make Hagrid feel better. Ron continued, "Er - how are the flobberworms?"

"Dead," said Hagrid gloomily. "Too much lettuce."

"Oh no!" said Ron, his lip twitching.

"An' them dementors make me feel ruddy terrible an' all," said Hagrid, with a sudden shudder. Gotta walk past 'em ev'ry time I want a drink in the Three Broomsticks. "S like bein' back in Azkaban -"

He fell silent, gulping his tea. Marcus remembered the one time he went there, and hoped that he'd never have to go there again. It did surprise Marcus to hear Hagrid bring up his brief time in Azkaban, as he surely thought it was a sensitive subject. After a pause, Hermione said timidly, "Is it awful in there, Hagrid?"

"Yeh've no idea," said Hagrid quietly. "Never bin anywhere like it. Thought I was goin' mad. Kep' goin' over horrible stuff in me mind...the day I got expelled from Hogwarts...day me dad died...day I had ter let Norbert go..."

His eyes filled with tears before continuting, "Yeh can' really remember who yeh are after a while. An' yeh can' see the point o' livin' at all. I used ter hope I'd jus' die in me sleep...When they let me out, it was like bein' born again, ev'rythin' came floodin' back, it was the bes' feelin' in the world. Mind, the dementors weren't keen on lettin' me go."

"But you were innocent!" said Hermione.

Hagrid snorted.

"Think that matters to them? They don' care. Long as they've got a couple o' hundred humans stuck there with 'em, so they can leech all the happiness out of 'em, they don' give a damn who's guilty an' who's not."

Hagrid went quiet for a moment, staring into his tea. Then he said quietly, "Thought o' jus' letting Buckbeak go...tryin' ter make him fly away...but how d'yeh explain ter a hippogriff it's gotta go inter hidin'? An' - an' I'm scared o' breakin' the law..."

He looked up at them, tears leaking down his face again. "I don' ever want ter go back ter Azkaban."

Though the trip to Hagrid's was, by no means, fun, it did do one thing in Marcus' favor: Though he knew that Harry hadn't forgotten about Sirius, Harry was deterred by Hagrid's misfortunate dealings with the Ministry's Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures. At the very least, it would either buy time for Marcus to try and soften up Harry before taking him to see Sirius or prepare Sirius for the worst.

That evening, as he entered the Room of Requirement, Lorelei immediately said, "Okay, what are we going to do about our plans for having Harry meet Sirius?"

"Nothing," said Marcus. "In fact, we'll most likely shelve the plan altogether."

"What?!" said Lorelei. "Why?!"

"Because of multiple reasons," said Marcus, sounding grim. "Between having to hear his mom's death through the dementors, everyone believing Sirius is a madman and a murderer, and having no proof other than Pettigrew being alive, there's not much to convince Harry of Sirius' innocence without that sniveling coward of a rat. No, the best course of action will have to be to prepare Sirius for the worst."

"And that being?" said Lorelei.

"Well, worst case scenario, Harry tries to kill him," said Marcus. "That, I won't allow, obviously."

"Well, at least Sirius will have two fellow Animagi helping him instead of one," said Lorelei, her face determined.

Marcus looked at her, impressed by her statement, saying, "You think you're close?"

"Oh, yes," said Lorelei. "I sense that I'll be able to shift into a creature that flies...but, I don't have anything more to go off on."

"Hey, considering you've been doing Animagus training for only a year, it's a fantastic achievement," said Marcus. "Most witches and wizards don't get this much progress in two year's training."

"But you succeeded in a year and a half!" Lorelei said.

"Well, that was with this room's help, and not even I had a sense of the type of creature I could potentially shift into," said Marcus. "In fact, I'd say I got pretty lucky."

"Well, that's one thing I'll try to beat you in: Become an Animagus in a shorter timeframe than yours," said Lorelei with a smile.

Marcus, at first, found himself smirking. Then, something he didn't believe would happen took place.

He felt a full-on, ear to ear smile. Not the slightly mad smile he wore during fighting, but a genuine smile, of happiness and joy.

It felt absolutely amazing, to finally smile, to finally be himself around someone he trusted with his every being.

He then gave a hearty, cheerful laugh before saying, "Well, if that's the case, let's not waste any time! Let's get right down to training!"

"All right!" said Lorelei, whose smile was radiant. "Let's get started!"

* * *

The next day, He, Harry, Ron, and Hermione went to the library and returned to the common room laden with books that might help prepare a defense for Buckbeak. The four of them sat in front of the roaring fire, slowly turning the pages of dusty volumes about famous cases of marauding beasts, speaking occasionally when they ran across something relevant.

"Here's something...there was a case in 1722...but the hippogriff was convicted - ugh, look what they did to it, that's disgusting -"

"This might help, look - a manticore savaged someone in 1296, and they let the manticore off - oh - no, that was only because everyone was too scared to go near it..."

Meanwhile, in the rest of the castle, the usual magnificent Christmas decorations had been put up, despite the fact that hardly any of the students remained to enjoy them. Thick streamers of holly and mistletoe were strung along the corridors, mysterious lights shone from inside every suit of armor, and the Great Hall was filled with its usual twelve Christmas trees, glittering with golden stars. A powerful and delicious smell of cooking pervaded the corridors, and by Christmas Eve, it had grown so strong that even Ron's rat poked his nose out of the shelter of his owner's pocket to sniff hopefully at the air.

Marcus decided to not do his workouts on Christmas morning, instead taking the rare opportunity to sleep in. Unfortunately, no such thing was going to happen as Ron threw his pillows at both him and Harry.

"Oi! Presents!"

Marcus threw Ron's pillow back at him, hitting his red-haired friend square in the face, as Marcus looked at the end of his four-poster to see a stack of presents.

Ron already started on his presents, opening one and saying, "Another sweater from Mum...maroon _again_...see if you two got one."

Marcus opened his first one to find that he indeed got a sweater, which was white with gold-colorled knitting in the form of a dragon and, despite his dislike of the color white, it was actually a pretty cool sweater.

He proceeded to put it on as he opened up the rest of the presents, consisting of a dozen home-baked mince pies, some Christmas cake, and a box of nut brittle. As he put the rest of his opened presents to the side, he saw that he had three presents left, the first of which a long, thin package.

"What's that?" said Ron, and Marcus noticed that Harry had a similar long, thin package of his own.

"Dunno..." said Harry.

"Hey, I got a similar package," said Marcus, bringing his own package over. "Let's open them up together."

"All right," said Harry as the two of them opened their packages together, the contents of the packages rolling onto Harry's bed.

Ron dropped the socks he was carrying, jumped off his bed to get a closer look, and said hoarsely, "I don't believe it."

They were Firebolts, identical brooms that Harry and Marcus gazed at in Diagon Alley day after day during the summer. Their handles glittered as they picked up their respective broomsticks. Marcus let his go upon feeling the vibration, watching it hang in midar, unsupported, the height it was hanging being perfect for mounting it. Marcus looked at his Firebolt from head to toe, from the golden registration number to the perfectly smooth, streamlined birch twigs that made up the tail.

"Who sent them to you, guys?" said Ron in a hushed voice.

"Mine was sent from Quality Quidditch Supplies," said Marcus, holding up the confirmation card. He then looked at Harry's Firebolt in surprise and said, "Who sent yours?"

"I dunno," said Harry, who looked just as confused. "Ron, look and see if there's a card."

Ron ripped apart the Firebolt's wrappings.

"Nothing! Blimey, who'd spend that much on you?"

 _"It was Sirius,"_ Marcus suddenly thought in realization. This must've been the business Sirius had to take care of, though it didn't explain why he was gone for so long. Surely, it couldn't take more than a week to send in an order?

"Well," said Harry, who was obviously stunned, "I'm betting it wasn't the Dursleys."

"I bet it was Dumbledore," said Ron, now walking around and around the Firebolts, taking in every glorious inch. "He sent you the Invisibility Cloak anonymously..."

"That was my dad's, though," said Harry.

"Dumbledore was just passing it on to him, Ron," said Marcus. "He can't just drop twenty five hundred galleons on Harry. It's against the rules -"

"That's why he wouldn't say it was from him!" said Ron. "In case some git like Malfoy said it was favoritism. Hey, Harry, Marcus" - Ron gave a great whoop of laughter - " _Malfoy!_ Wait till he sees the two of you on these! He'll be sick as a pig! These are _international_ standard brooms, they are!"

"I can't believe this," Harry muttered, running a hand along his Firebolt, while Ron sank onto Harry's bed, laughing his head off at the thought of Malfoy. _"Who-?"_

As Marcus put his Firebolt with the rest of the presents, grabbing the bigger of the two unopened boxes, Ron controlled himself and said, "I know! I know who it could've been - Lupin!"

"What?" said Harry, now starting to laugh himself. " _Lupin?_ Listen, if he had this much gold, he'd be able to buy himself some new robes."

"Yeah, but he likes you," said Ron. "And he was away when your Nimbus got smashed, and he might've heard about it and decided to visit Diagon Alley and get this for you-"

"Yes, my uncle was away, but I know for a fact that he doesn't have nearly enough Galleons to purchase a Firebolt," said Marcus, effectively squashing Ron's theory.

"What're you guys laughing about?"

Hermione and Lorelei had just come in, Hermione wearing her dressing gown and Lorelei being fully dressed. Hermione was carrying Crookshanks, who was looking very grumpy, with a string of tinsel tied around his neck.

"Don't bring him in here!" said Ron, hurriedly snatching Pettigrew's rat form from the depths of his bed and stowing him in his pajama pocket.

But Hermione wasn't listening. She dropped Crookshanks onto Seamus's empty bed and stared, open-mouthed, at the Firebolts.

"Oh, _Harry, Marcus_! Who sent you _those_?"

"Mine came from Quality Quidditch Supplies," said Marcus proudly.

"No idea," said Harry. "There wasn't a card of anything with it."

Marcus happiness dropped slightly by the look Hermione sported, which he recognized: He wore the same face whenever he was thinking under a bad situation. Perhaps she thought that Sirius was the one who sent Harry his Firebolt?

"What's the matter with you?" said Ron.

"I don't know," said Hermione slowly, "but it's a bit odd, isn't it? I mean, these are supposed to be really good brooms, aren't they?"

Ron sighed exasperatedly before saying, "These are the best brooms in the world, Hermione."

"So it must've been really expensive..."

"Probably cost more than all the Slytherins' brooms put together," said Ron happily.

 _"Probably does,"_ thought Marcus. _"The Nimbus 2001 costs only 300 Galleons."_

"Marcus, have you not opened the rest of your presents?" asked Lorelei, pointing to the unopened present in Marcus' lap.

"Oh, that's right, I haven't," said Marcus as everyone watched him open the box.

Marcus looked inside and gasped, "I don't believe it!"

He knew at once what it was: It was his new battle suit, the same one that got fitted for at Omnifabrics. It was marvelous, especially his undershirt which, upon contact, shined white and sparkled like crushed diamonds.

"Wow!" said Lorelei, Hermione, Ron, and Harry.

"Marcus, is that your battle suit?" asked Ron.

"Yes, it is!" exclaimed Marcus. "But, I don't understand. I didn't get a chance to pay Mr. Xerk yet."

His confusion was answered when he grabbed the little card inside and silently read:

 _Mr. Williams,_

 _Enclosed is your completed battle suit. I must admit, it's one of my best works. You can thank the kind soul who paid for your suit in a big way._

 _Mr. Xerk, store proprieter of Omnifabrics_

"Who -?" said Marcus.

He looked over to Lorelei, who was blushing and said, "M-Merry Christmas, Marcus."

He felt absolutely floored in a good way. Lorelei, his trusted training partner, paid for his battle suit?!

Before he knew it, his lips were touching the right cheek of Lorelei Flamel. Upon realizing his actions, he quickly withdrew and said, "Um - thank - thank you, Lorelei."

Hermione, whose eyes were wide, said, "Open your last present, Marcus!"

"Right, right," said Marcus, who tried to go back to normal as much as he could as he could the slightly smaller package and opened it.

Whatever normalacy he had before the last present was lost after he looked inside.

It was an album book atop a blanket. Marcus took the album book, opened it, and was lost for words.

All sorts of pictures of him and Sirius were inside the photo album. From the looks of it, it was around the time Marcus was born. From Sirius holding him to playing toys with his baby self, he even saw a few pictures of his parents included, as well as his Uncle Remus, and what looked like Harry's parents as well.

He then took the blanket out, which was more like a quilt, a quilt of Hogwarts at night. There were five animals on the ground in the scene: A lion, a rat, a stag, a dog, and what looked like a werewolf happily going along the grounds, play fighting and what not.

"Oh, Marcus, these are lovely!" said Hermione. "Who sent you these?"

"Who knows?" said Marcus, who knew full well who sent it, but didn't say anything.

"Well, now that everyone has opened their presents, let's test out the Firebolts," said Ron, who sounded more than eager. "Harry, let's start with yours, and -"

"I don't think anyone should ride that broom just yet!" said Hermione shrilly.

Everyone looked at her, Marcus with his eyes narrowed: He knew that Hermione thought Sirius sent Harry's Firebolt just by her reaction.

"What d'you think Harry's going to do with it - sweep the floor?" said Ron.

But before Hermione could answer, Crookshanks sprang from Seamus's bed, right at Ron's chest.

"GET - HIM - OUT - OF - HERE!" Ron bellowed as Crookshanks's claws ripped his pajamas and Pettigrew attempted a wild escape over his shoulder. Marcus watched as Ron seized Scabbers by the tail and aimed a misjudged kick at Crookshanks that hit the trunk of the end of Harry's bed, knocking it over and causing Ron to hop up and down, howling with pain.

Crookshanks's fur suddenly stood on end. A shrill, tinny whistling was filling the room. Harry's Pocket Sneakoscope dislogdged from a nasty pair of socks and was whirling and gleaming on the floor.

"I forgot about that!" Harry said, bending down and picking up the Sneakoscope. "I never wear those socks if I can help it..."

As Marcus watched the Sneakoscope whirlilng and whistling in Harry's palm, Crookshanks hissing and spitting at it, he thought, _"It's reacting to Pettigrew, again. No surprise there."_

"You'd better take that cat out of here, Hermione," said Ron furiously, sitting on Harry's bed nursing his toe. "Can't you shut that thing up?" he added to Harry as Hermione strode out of the room, Lorelei following close behind her, Crookshanks's yellow eyes still fixed maliciously on Ron.

As Harry stuffed the Sneakoscope back inside the socks and throwing it into his trunks, Marcus looked at the form of Pettigrew's Animagus form. Though he hadn't forgotten his mission of getting his hands on the rat, once again, he was in no position to do such a thing. The effects of Sirius's at-large status had a great affect on Pettigrew; what was once a large and fat rat form was now practically skin and bones, and patches of fur seemed to have fallen out as well.

"He's not looking too good, is he?" Harry said.

"It's stress!" said Ron. "He'd be fine if that big stupid furball left him alone!"

Marcus would've been more than glad to get Scabbers in that moment if not for one thing: Despite Ron's frequent complaints about Scabbers being boring and useless, Ron would definitely miss him if he were to disappear, and the last thing he wanted to do was make one of his best friends sad.

Christmas spirit was definitely thin on the ground in the Gryffindor common room that morning. Hermione had shut Crookshanks in her dormitory, but was furious with Ron for trying to kick him; Ron was still fuming about Crookshanks's fresh attempt to eat Scabbers.

Marcus, not making any attempts for them to talk to each other, heard Lorelei said, "Here, you forgot this."

Marcus saw Lorelei handing him an envelope with his name on it.

"What's this?" said Marcus.

"It was amongst your presents, but since all those crazy things happened in the dormitory, I don't think you spotted it."

"Fair enough," said Marcus, who opened the envelope and read:

 _10 am, Entrance Hall_

Marcus recognized the writing at once and got super excited.

"I've got to get dressed now!" said Marcus who, upon seeing that the time was 9:40 am, rushed up to the dormitory, got dressed, and rushed out of the common room.

He bounded down as many stairs as he could, feeling happier and happier with each floor he went past until he finally reached the entrance hall at five to ten.

And, sure enough, at 10 am, the front oak doors opened and Marcus saw -

"Mom! Dad!" said Marcus, who rushed into the open arms of his parents.

"Oh, Marcus, it is so good to see you again," said Brynn.

"Yes, it's been far too long," said Michael with a smile.

"When did you guys get back in the country?!" asked Marcus.

"Last night, actually," said his mom. "We've finally got the other Aurors in the different countries up to speed."

"How is the search going?" Marcus asked, fully knowing the answer.

"Terribly," said Michael. "The search isn't bringing up anything to go off of, and we've no idea where Black is currently hiding. But, enough about that. Merry Christmas, son! What did you get?"

"Well, I got this cool sweater Mrs. Weasley knitted for me," Marcus stated, pointing to said sweater. "I also got my ordered Firebolt, as well."

"Yes, the same one you didn't tell us about," said Michael. Marcus was about to explain when his father continued, "No need to explain. It's your Galleons, you're free to do whatever you want with it. Just don't go spending all of your money."

"Right," said Marcus. "Harry got one too, though there was no card or anything inside."

"Is that so?" asked Michael, who Marcus saw donned the same look Hermione had earlier that morning, which made him nervous.

"Here," said his mother. "Something I picked up for you when we were going around the different Ministries."

Marcus opened it to find -

"This is a book from Beauxbatons!" said Marcus. "There's all sorts of spells that no other institution teaches!"

"I thought of you when one of the students there gave me this," said Brynn. "Oh, France was so amazing in the fall, Marcus. I wish you could've seen it!"

"Darling, you think France is amazing all year round," said Michael with a sour note in his voice.

"I can't help that," replied Brynn. "France simply loves me."

"Beauxbaton Acadamy loves you," Michael clarified. He looked to Marcus and said, "Had to endure forty-eight grueling hours of girls squealing over your mother. It was such a bore."

Brynn lightly punched his right arm as Marcus smirked.

He then heard a voice behind him say, "Marcus, there you -"

He turned to find Lorelei coming down the steps, who stopped immediately upon seeing his parents.

"Oh?" said Brynn. "Who's this?"

"Perhaps I should -" Lorelei began.

"No, no, please," said Marcus. He waited until Lorelei was near him before saying, "Mom, Dad, this is Lorelei Flamel, a second-year student. She's a good friend of mine and my training partner."

"We're well met, Ms. Flamel," said Michael, who extended his hand.

"Um, thank you, Mr. Williams," said Lorelei, who sounded very shy as she shook his father's hand.

"Hmm," said Brynn, who looked at her closely and said, "You're a very pretty young lady, Ms. Flamel. I imagine that Marcus hasn't put you through too much strenuous training?"

"Oh, not at all!" said Lorelei, who was definitely blushing. "He's helped me so much!"

"I see," said Brynn with a smile. "Well, I know lunch is taking place soon, so why don't we go up to the Gryffindor common room and have a look at your Firebolt, Marcus?"

"Um, sure," said Marcus.

As they were making their way up to the common room, Lorelei whispered, "You didn't tell me you were meeting your parents today, Marcus!"

"That's because I didn't know," said Marcus. "Did I frighten you, Lorelei?"

"I just wasn't prepared, that's all," said Lorelei.

"What do you mean?" asked Marcus.

"Your mother is so beautiful," said Lorelei. "I didn't think anyone could be that beautiful that isn't a -"

Marcus saw that Lorelei cut her words short.

"A what?"

"Oh, nothing," said Lorelei.

The rest of the walk was quiet until they reached the portrait of Sir Cadogan.

"Stand and fight, you scurvy curs!" shouted the obnoxious knight.

Marcus could see the impatient look on his father's face as he said, "What happened to the Fat Lady?"

"Still recovering from the Halloween attack," said Marcus. "Sirius Black tried to enter the common room, then proceeded to mutilate the portrait when she refused him entry."

"So, despite all the measures we've taken to ensure Hogwart's safety, Black still found a way in," said Michael, not sounding happy. "Well, I know how to deal with Sir Cadogan, regardless."

"You do?" asked Lorelei.

"Oh, yes," said Michael with a smirk on his face. "Watch this."

He then looked at the portrait, with a right fist over his heart, and said, "Knight's Honor!"

"Knight's Honor, sir!" said Sir Cadogan and the portrait swung open.

"Wait, what?!" said Marcus. "How -"

"Something I learned during my time here," said Michael. "Shall we?"

They entered the common room to find that the atmosphere was still quite intense from earlier this morning.

"Geez, I've felt happier atmospheres at Department Head Meetings," said Michael. "What happened here?"

"A rat, a cat, and two very stubborn owners," said Marcus.

Marcus then saw Ron coming down, to which Michael said, "Well, hello there, Ron! How are you!"

Ron saw Marcus' parents and said, "Blimey! I didn't know you were here, sir!"

"Just arrived, actually," said Michael. "I heard you've had a bit of a run-in with a cat?"

"Hardly a bit, sir," said Ron, who suddenly gone sour. "That monster has it out for Scabbers!"

"If it's all right, may I see Scabbers?" said Michael.

"Oh, of course, sir," said Ron, who got Scabbers out of his pocket and put him in the palm of Michael's right hand.

For one wild second, Marcus thought he saw his father's eyes flash with fire, which terrifed Marcus. However, he wasn't sure as Michael said, "He's not looking the greatest. Much too skinny, which could be stress. Getting chased by a cat is certainly not a walk in the park."

Pettigrew's Animagus form suddenly started to act crazy, trying desperately to get away from his father, which suprised Marcus. What reason would it have to run from his father? His father wasn't the one trying to get his hands on him, Sirius was.

"I think that if you keep that cat in a separate room, Scabbers should resume his normal self in no time," said Michael.

"Hang on one second, I'll go and get my Firebolt," said Marcus.

Once he got back down to the common room, Firebolt in hand, Michael said, "Well, despite how expensive it is, it certainly is an impressive broom. And you said that Harry has one, as well?"

"Yes," said Marcus.

Marcus watched his father inspect the broom as he stated, "Well, we can't have that. Listen, if you let me have your broom for a week, I think there'll be a way to distinguish your Firebolt from everyone else's."

"Um, okay," said Marcus.

"Also, I don't have a Christmas present for you right now," said Michael. "I have to wait for some things to happen first before I can give it to you, but I think you'll be pretty happy with it."

"That's fine," said Marcus, unsure of what his father was alluding to.

"Well, I think we should join everyone else at the Great Hall," said Brynn. "Plus, I'm starving."

So, everyone went down to the Great Hall to find that the House tables had been moved against the walls again, and that a single table, set for fifteen, stood in the middle of the room. Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape, Sprout, and Flitwick were there, along with Filch, the caretaker, who had taken off his usual brown coat and was wearing a very old and rather moldy-looking tailcoat. There were only three other students, two extremely nervous-looking first years and a sullen-faced Slytherin fifth year.

"Merry Christmas!" said Dumbledore as Marcus, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Lorelei, Michael and Brynn approached the table. "As there are so few of us, it seemed foolish to use the House tables...Sit down, sit down!"

Marcus sat between Hermione and Lorelei while his mom sat next to Lorelei and his father sat next to Dumbledore.

"Crackers!" said Dumbledore enthusiastically, offering the end of a large silver noisemaker to Snape, who took it reluctantly and tugged. With a bang like a gunshot, the cracker flew apart to reveal a large, pointed witch's hat topped with a stuffed vulture.

Marcus, remembering the boggart, caught Harry and Ron's eyes and they both grinned while Marcus smirked; Snape's mouth thinned and he pushed the hat toward Dumbledore, who swapped it for his wizard's hat at once.

"Dig in!" he advised the table, beaming around.

As Marcus helped himself to pork chops and vegetables, the doors of the Great Hall opened again. It was Professor Trelawney, gliding toward them as though on wheels, which made Marcus feel irritated at once. She had put on a green sequined dress in honor of the occassion, making her look more than ever like a glittering, oversized dragonfly.

"Sybill, this is a pleasant surprise!" said Dumbledore, standing up.

"I have been crystal gazing, Headmaster," said Professor Trelawney in her mistiest, most faraway voice, "and to my astonishmnet, I saw myself abandoning my solitary luncheon and coming to join you. Who am I to refuse the promptings of fate? I at once hastened from my tower, and I do beg you to forgive my lateness..."

"Certainly, certainly," said Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling. "Let me draw you up a chair-"

And he did indeed draw a chair in midair with his wand, which revolved for a few seconds before falling with a thud between Professors Snape and McGonagall.

"Thank you, Headmaster," said Professor Trelawney, who slowly sat down.

"Tripe, Sybill?" asked Professor McGongall.

Professor Trelawney ignored her, looking around with opened eyes and said, "But where is dear Professor Lupin?"

"I'm afraid the poor fellow is ill again," said Dumbledore, indicating that everyone should start serving themselves. "Most unfortunate that it should happen on Christmas Day."

"But surely you already knew that, Sybill?" said Professor McGonagall, her eyebrows raised.

Professor Trelawney gave Professor McGonagall a very cold look.

"Certainly I knew, Minerva," she said quietly. "But one does not parade the fact that one is All-Knowing. I frequently act as though I am not possessed of the Inner Eye, so as not to make others nervous."

"That explains a great deal," said Professor McGonagall tartly, causing Marcus to greatly stifle his laughter.

Professor Trelawney's voice suddenly became a good deal less misty.

"If you must know, Minerva, I have seen that poor Professor Lupin will not be with us for very long. He seems aware, himself, that his time is short. He positively fled when I offered to crystal gaze for him -"

"Imagine that," said Professor McGonagall dryly.

"I doubt," said Dumbledore, in a cheerful but slightly raised voice, which put an end to Professor McGonagall and Professor Trelawney's conversation, "that Professor Lupin is in any immediate danger. Severus, you've made the potion for him again?"

"Yes, Headmaster," said Snape.

"Good," said Dumbledore. "Then he should be up and about in no time...Derek, have you any of these chipolatas? They're excellent."

The first-year boy went furiously red on being addressed directly by Dumbledore, and took the platter of sausages with trembling hands.

Marcus went back to his dinner and was thouroughly enjoying the pork chops when he heard Hermione say, "You know, Marcus, I don't think I've ever seen you do that before."

"What are you talking about, Hermione?" asked Marcus, cutting his other pork chops into smaller bits.

"Smile," said Hermione. "You have a really nice smile. A shame you don't do that more often."

Marcus immediately froze up upon hearing his mom say, "Wait, Marcus smiled?!" He looked at his mom in horror, who continued, "Marcus, you actually smiled?! When?! Where?! Why?!"

"I think Hermione's drunken too much of the egg nog," said Marcus quickly, waving his right hand in a dismissive gesture. "She's confusing me with Harry. What a silly mistake!"

He quickly turned to Hermione and muttered through tight lips, "Don't go saying that around my parents, Hermione."

Hermione, despite looking mighty confused, said nothing more as he heard his mother say with great disappointment, "Oh. I see."

Everything was quite normal until the end of Christmas Dinner, two hours later. Full to bursting with Christmas dinner and still wearing their party hats, Marcus, Harry, Ron, and Lorelei got up from the table.

"Are you coming, Hermione?" asked Marcus.

"No," Hermione muttered," I want a quick word with Professor McGonagall."

"Wait, Marcus, Come and give me a hug before you leave," said Brynn, who hugged Marcus as tight as she could. "Behave, okay? We'll see you in the summer."

"All right," said Marcus, who went to rejoin his friends.

When they reached the portrait hole, they found Sir Cadogan enjoying a Christmas party with a couple of monks, several previous headmasters of Hogwarts, and his fat pony. He pushed up his visor and toasted them with a flagon of mead.

"Merry - hic - Christmas! Password?"

"Scurvy cur," said Ron.

"And the same to you, sir!" roared Sir Cadogan as the painting swung forward to admit them.

Marcus and Lorelei sat down to look over the Beauxbatons book his mom gave him, wondering what spells they were going to try and master while Harry and Ron were both admiring Harry's Firebolt from every possible angle. Marcus and Lorelei were debating whether or not to start on the Jet spell when the portrait hole opened, and Hermione came in, accompanied by Professor McGonagall and his father, Michael Williams.

Though Professor McGonagall was head of Gryffindor House, Marcus had only seen her in the common room only once before, and that had been to make a very grave announcement. That theme wasn't to going to change, Marcus reasoned, especially with his father present, wearing a look of fury.

Hermione walked around them, sat down, picked up the nearest book, and hid her face behind it.

"So that's it, is it?" said Professor McGonagall beadily, walking over to the fireside and staring at the Firebolt. "Miss Granger has just informed me that you have been sent a broomstick, Potter."

Marcus looked around at Hermione, whose forehead was reddening over the top of her book, which was upside down.

Marcus saw his father approaching Professor McGonagall's side as he said, "Dad, what's going -"

"Get the photo album and the quilt," said his father with a deadly voice. " _Now."_

As if his body was moving on its own, Marcus sprinted to his dormitory, grabbed the photo album and the folded quilt, and rushed back down to the common room, handing them to his father.

"May I?" said Professor McGonagall, but she didn't wait for an answer before pulling the Firebolt out of Harry and Ron's hands. She examined it carefully from handle to twig-ends while Michael examined both the photo album and the quilt. "Hmm. And there was no note at all, boys? No cards? No messages of any kind?"

"No," said Marcus and Harry blankly.

"I see...," said Professor McGonagall. "Well, I'm afraid I will have to take these items, Potter, Williams."

"W-what?" said Harry, who scrambled to his feet. "Why?"

"Yes, why are we getting these taken away from us?" said Marcus, who was on the verge of yelling.

"To check for jinxes," said Michael in such an authoritative voice that Marcus forced himself to calm down.

"Of course, I'm no expert, but I daresay Madam Hooch and Professor Flitwick will strip the Firebolt down -"

"Strip it down?" repeated Ron, as though Professor McGonagall was mad.

"It shouldn't take more than a few weeks," said Professor McGonagall. "You will have it back if we are sure it is jinx-free, Potter."

"There's nothing wrong with it!" said Harry, his voice shaking slightly. "Honestly, Professor -"

"You can't know that, Harry," said Michael quite sternly, "not until you've flown it, at least, and that's something we can't allow to happen unless we're sure that your Firebolt has not been tampered with."

"And you honestly think a photo album and quilt are riddled with death-dealing curses, as well?" Marcus asked his father.

"That's enough out of you, Marcus!" said Michael. "Quite frankly, I'm more concerned with what spells may lie in these objects. These will have to be inspected by the Ministry of Magic itself."

Marcus felt his heart dropping to his stomach. Artifacts that were deemed dangerous by the Ministry took anywhere from one month to six to inspect, depending on the situation and objects in question. If Marcus had to guess, those objects would be inspected for at least six months.

"We shall keep you informed, Potter, Williams, on the status of your possessions," stated Professor McGonagall before turning on her heels and walking out of the common room with Harry's Firebolt in hand, Michael following suit.

Marcus felt himself shaking from head to toe in anger, feeling robbed of what was the greatest thing he could've been given from Sirius Black, as he heard Ron saying to Hermione, _"What did you go running to McGonagall for?"_

Marcus looked at her as Hermione threw her book aside. She was still pink in the face, but stood up and faced Ron defiantly.

"Because I thought - and Professor McGonagall agrees with me - that Harry and Marcus's unmarked presents were given to them by Sirius Black!"

Upon hearing that statement, Marcus punched the wall closest to him in anger, leaving a fist-sized crater in the wall, scaring everyone else present.

 _"So, Hermione ran to Professor McGonagall because she got super paranoid,"_ Marcus thought, still seething with anger.

He looked at her and roared, "Don't talk to me for the next forty eight hours, Hermione!"

He then ran up to the dormitory, suppressing the tears that were forming in his eyes.

 **And this concludes this chapter of HP: Freedom's Path! Please feel free to leave a review about your thoughts on the chapter or book so far, as it will help me become a better writer. Also, if you want to ask me any questions, feel free to leave me a PM, and if it is within my power to answer them, I will do so. In the meantime, please keep your eye out for the next chapter of HP: Freedom's Path!**


	11. (11) Difficult Times

**Welcome, once again, to the next chapter of HP: Freedom's Path! Due to having finally completed a long awaited chapter for this series (not in this book), I decided to celebrate by uploading the next chapter to THIS book! I'm grateful that each and every one of you take the time to read my series. It means so much to me that you enjoy reading it as much as I've enjoyed putting my spin on the series to life. Now, with that out of the way...**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing in regards to Harry Potter save for the OC's that exist purely in this fanfiction series.**

 **With that, here's...**

Chapter 11: Difficult Times

 **Enjoy, one and all!**

Marcus couldn't remember the last time he felt so angry with Hermione. He knew very well that she was looking out for him and Harry, and didn't know that Sirius Black was innocent, but he couldn't help but feel that he lost an important piece of his life, something that linked him to what he was like before the Dark Prince came and messed with his life.

Harry and Ron were angry with Hermione, as well. Harry was angry with her because of the Firebolt. Ron was angry with her because of the Firebolt _and_ the whole Crookshanks/Scabbers mess. Convinced that she had acted for the best, Hermione started to avoid the common room altogether. The three boys surmised that she started to take refuge in the library, but Harry and Ron didn't try to persuade her to come back. Marcus, however, went to her 48 hours after the incident and apologized for his outburst at her, even though he still was angry with her.

All in all, Marcus, Harry, and Ron were glad when the rest of the school returned shortly after New Year, and Gryffindor Tower became crowded and noisy again.

Wood sought Marcus and Harry out before term started.

"Had a good Christmas?" he said, and then, without waiting for an answer, he sat down, lowered his voice, and said, "I've been doing some thinking over Christmas, Harry, Marcus. After the last match, you know. If the dementors come to the next one...I mean...we can't afford you two to - well -"

Wood broke off, looking awkward.

"We're working on it," said Harry quickly. "Professor Lupin said he'd train us to ward off the dementors. We should be starting this week. He said he'd have time after Christmas."

"Ah," said Wood, his expression clearing. "Well, in that case - I really didn't want to lose you as Seeker and Chaser, boys. And have you two ordered new brooms yet?"

"No," said Harry and Marcus.

"What! You'd better get a move on, you know - you both can't be riding those Shooting Stars against Ravenclaw!"

"They got Firebolts for Christmas," said Ron.

" _Firebolts?_ No! Seriously? Real - real _Firebolts_?"

"Don't get excited, Oliver," said Harry gloomily. "We haven't got them anymore."

"Yeah, Harry's was confiscated by Professor McGonagall while my dad took mine," said Marcus.

They then explained all about how Harry's Firebolt was now being checked for jinxes.

"Jinxed? How could it be jinxed?"

"Sirius Black," Harry said wearily. "He's supposed to be after me. So McGonagall reckons he might have sent it."

Waving aside the information that a famous murderer was after his players, Wood said, "But Black couldn't have bought a Firebolt! He's on the run! The whole country's on the lookout for him! How could he just walk into Quality Quidditch Supplies and buy a broomstick?"

"Obviously, we know that's not possible," said Marcus. "But, McGonagall still wants to strip Harry's broom down -"

Wood went pale.

"I'll go and talk to her, Harry," he promised. "I'll make her see reason...real Firebolts...real Firebolts, on our team...She wants Gryffindor to win as much as we do...I'll make her see sense. Real _Firebolts_..."

* * *

The morning of the start of classes, as Marcus was eating his breakfast, Archie came swooping down. carrying a bit of parchment in his beak. Marcus took the bit of parchment and looked at it, the only thing being on it was a dog's paw print.

Marcus thanked his lucky stars that no one was around, because this could've only meant one thing: Sirius was back in the Forbidden Forest.

Noting to get out to the Forbidden Forest at sunset, Marcus hurried to Care of Magical Creatures class. He wasn't exactly looking forward to it, with it being so cold in January. However, Hagrid had provided a bonfire full of salamanders for the class's enjoyment, and they spent an unusually good lesson collecting dry wood and leaves to keep the fire blazing while the flame-loving lizards scampered up and down the crumbling, white-hot logs.

While Hagrid's lesson was greatly enjoyable, the same could not be said in regards to Marcus' first Divinations lesson of the new term. Professor Trelawney was now teaching them palmistry, and she lost no time in informing him that he was set for a great, but terrible destiny, something that greatly grated against Marcus' patience.

He couldn't wait for his Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson, mostly because he wanted to find out when his uncle would start teaching him and Harry how to combat dementors.

"Ah, yes," said his uncle, when Marcus and Harry reminded him of his promise at the end of class. "Let me see...how about eight o'clock on Thursday evening? The History of Magic classroom should be large enough...I'll have to think carefully about how we're going to do this...We can't bring a real dementor into the castle to practice on..."

"Still looks ill, doesn't he?" said Ron as they walked down the corridor, heading to dinner. "What d'you reckon's the matter with him?"

"I think it's just a small cold," said Marcus, wanting to divert the topic of his uncle's condition. "He never really had a great immune system for as long as I've known him."

There was a loud and impatient "tuh" from behind them. It was Hermione, who had been sitting at the feet of a suit of armor, repacking her bag, which was so full of books it wouldn't close.

"And what are you tutting at us for?" said Ron irritably.

"Nothing," said Hermione in a lofty voice, heaving her bag back over her shoulder.

"Yes, you were," said Ron. "We were talking about Professor Lupin being sick, and you -"

"Well, isn't it _obvious_?" said Hermione, glaring at Marcus more so than at Harry or Ron.

Marcus knew that Hermione had figured out his uncle's condition. Not that it surprised him, as she was clever enough to have caught on.

Regardless, Marcus glared back at her and said, "Well, if you know what it is, by all means, tell us."

Hermione could do nothing except make a haughty sort of noise and march off.

"She doesn't know," said Ron, staring resentfully after Hermione. "She's just trying to get us to talk to her again."

* * *

That night, Marcus made his way to the front oak doors of the entrance hall, across the grounds, into the Forbidden Forest, shifted into Leo, and hurried through the forest.

At long last, after three months of not seeing Sirius, there he was, at the usual rendevous spot, standing, waiting for Marcus.

He gave a soft growl, a friendly growl, and Sirius looked at him, barking happily. They play fought for a little bit before Marcus shifted back to normal and said, "Oh, Sirius, am I glad to see you."

Sirius shifted to normal and said with a smile, "I'm glad to see you too, Marcus. Did you enjoy your Christmas present?"

"Enjoy it?" said Marcus. "Sirius, that was an amazing present! I absolutely loved it! Did you send Harry the Firebolt?"

"I did," said Sirius. "It was tricky, but I was able to send the order through Owl Post. I take it he loves it?"

"Oh, he does...or, at least, he did," said Marcus.

"What do you mean?" asked Sirius.

"Both of our gifts from you got confiscated," said Marcus, his words dripping with venom. "Hermione Granger, one of my closest friends, freaked out and ran to Professor McGonagall. Now, Harry's Firebolt is getting stripped down for jinxes while the Ministry of Magic's inspecting my gifts."

Sirius frowned as he said, "Surely, someone realized that I wouldn't do that."

"Yeah, me," said Marcus. "Everyone else believes you're trying to kill me and Harry."

"I seem to be causing more problems than necessary, aren't I?" Sirius asked, his face full of sadness.

"Hey, don't get glum," said Marcus. "We'll get our hands on Pettigrew soon enough. Which reminds me, I've got a plan."

"You do?!" asked Sirius, perking up at once. "What is it?"

"Well, it's something I just thought of," said Marcus. "One of my fellow Gryffindor students forced the current Gryffindor Tower guardian to tell him all of the passwords he plans on using. Said student wrote them down on little pieces of parchment."

"Wait, the Fat Lady would never give out passwords like that," Sirius stated.

"That's because the current Gryffindor Tower guardian is Sir Cadogan," Marcus told him.

"That blithering idiot?" said Sirius. "I can get by him, no problem. I already know a trick to do so."

"You can't do that," said Marcus. "If you were to do that, the entire castle will be in an uproar. No, what I figure is that we get Crookshanks to take the passwords, give them to you to hold on to. On the date we decide on, you'll enter Gryffindor Tower, take Pettigrew, spill some blood to make it look like he died, and then we can deal with Pettigrew and securing you freedom!"

"You're a chip off the old block, godson!" said Sirius, patting Marcus on the shoulder. "But, the question remains: When would we carry this out?"

"I'm glad you asked," said Marcus. "I'll get Crookshanks to steal the passwords as soon as possible. As far as getting you in Gryffindor Tower, I think it'd be best to do it after Gryffindor defeats Ravenclaw in the Quidditch match."

"Why not sooner?" asked Sirius.

"Well, think about it: What happens when Gryffindor wins a Quidditch match?"

"They party all night and crash early in the morning," said Sirius, realizing what Marcus was alluding to. "No one will be awake enough to hear an intruder going in and out of Gryffindor Tower!"

"Exactly," said Marcus with a smirk. "And, should things fall apart, I'll be ready in the common room to render you invisible before you exit the tower. All I'll have to do is pretend to crash in a seat near the fireplace when the party starts to die down, and no one would question it."

"I really like this plan," said Sirius, who had a hungry look in his eyes. "We'll get our hands on Pettigrew for sure this time!"

"Which reminds me," said Marcus. "Pettigrew absolutely freaked out when my father was holding his Animagus form. Any reason why?"

Sirius put on a confused face and said, "Well, I can't imagine why. Your father's not the one after Pettigrew, I am."

"I was thinking the exact same thing," said Marcus, who picked up on the uncertainty in Sirius's voice, but he wasn't going to press his godfather about it.

"You didn't tell your father anything about -" Sirius began to say.

"I didn't tell my father a thing," he said. "He's still in the dark, don't worry."

Sirius sighed as Marcus continued, "I've got to get going. It's getting pretty late."

Marcus took a couple of steps away from him when something came to mind.

"Sirius," Marcus said, "Other than my father's Duplication Spell, how would a witch or wizard be in multiple places in the same timeframe?"

Without hesitation, Sirius said, "They would be using a Time-Turner, going back in time to do whatever needed to be done that wasn't possible beforehand."

Marcus, now with a better understanding, said, "Thanks, Sirius. I'll see you soon."

He then rendered himself invisible and went to go back up to the castle.

* * *

At eight o'clock on Thursday evening, Marcus and Harry left Gryffindor Tower for the History of Magic classroom. It was dark and empty when they arrived, but they lit the lamps with their wands and only waited five minutes when his uncle turned up, carrying a large package case, which he heaved onto Professor Binn's desk.

"What's that?" said Harry.

"Another boggart," said Marcus' uncle, stripping off his cloak. "I've been combing the castle ever since Tuesday, and very luckily, I found this one lurking inside Mr. Filch's filing cabinet. It's the nearest we'll get to a real dementor. The boggart will turn into a dementor when he sees you two, so we'll be able to practice on him. I can store him in my office when we're not using him; there's a cupboard under my desk he'll like."

"Okay," said Harry.

"Now we're talking," said Marcus, eager to learn a brand new spell, one that would help him against the dementors.

"So..." His uncle had taken out his own wand, and indicated that the two of them should do the same. "The spell I am going to try and teach you both is highly advanced magic, Harry, Marcus - well beyond Ordinary Wizarding Level. It is called the Patronus Charm."

Marcus felt himself getting more eager than before. Learning a new and useful spell was all well and good, but learning one that was well beyond his cirriculumn was even better.

"How does it work?" said Harry nervously.

"Well, when it works correctly, it conjures up a Patronus," said Lupin, "which is a kind of anti-dementor - a guardian that acts as a shield between the caster and the dementor - a guardian that acts as a shield between you and the dementor."

Marcus suddenly pictured an impenetrable wall erected between himself and a horde of dementors. His uncle continued, "The Patronus is a kind of positive force, a projection of the very things that the dementor feeds upon - hope, happiness, the desire to survive - but it cannot feel despair, as real humans can, so the dementor can't hurt it. But I must warn you, boys, that the charm might be too advanced. Many qualified wizards have difficulty with it."

"What does a Patronus look like?" said Harry curiously.

"Each one is unique to the wizard who conjures it."

"And how do you conjure it?" Marcus asked.

"With an incantation, which will only work if you are concentrating, with all your might, on a single, very happy memory."

Marcus's eagerness faltered. Focus on a single, very happy memory? He didn't have too many happy memories. In fact, there were very few to go off of, and he feared that none of them would be good enough.

However, as he was determined to master the spell, he had to try. He searched his past until he pondered on the time last school year, when him and Harry defeated the Basilisk and put an end to Tom Riddle's plot.

"All right, got it," said Marcus.

"The incantation is this -" his uncle cleared his throat. _"Expecto Patronum!"_

Marcus knew he had to concentrate on his memory with everything he had as he muttered, _"Expecto Patronum, Expecto Patronum, Expecto Patronum_ -"

"Concentrating hard on your happy memories, boys?"

"Yes," said Marcus as he tried to relive the feeling of relief and happiness he felt during his memory. _"Expecto Patronum, Expecto Patronum, Expecto Patronum_ -"

All of a sudden, Marcus heard a whoosh out of nowhere and saw that Harry's wand shot out what looked like a wisp of silvery gas.

"Did you see that?" said Harry excitedly. "Something happened!"

Marcus felt great disappointment as his uncle said, smiling, "Very good, Harry." He then turned to Marcus and said, "Keep trying, Marcus. Really concentrate."

Marcus, again, focused on his chosen memory, saying, _"Expecto Patronum, Expecto Patronum, Expecto Patronum_ -"

Finally, the same wisp of silvery gas came out of Marcus' wand, though it wasn't as great as Harry's was.

"Great job, Marcus" said his uncle with the same smile. "Right, then - Harry, ready to try it on a dementor?"

"Yes," Harry said, gripping his wand very tightly, and moving into the middle of the deserted classroom while Marcus moved to the furthest part of the classroom possible.

Marcus watched as his uncle grasped the lid of the package case and pulled, making the boggart come out and assume the form of a dementor, a glistening, scabbed hand gripping its cloak. The lamps around the classroom flickered and went out. The dementor stepped from the box and started to sweep silently toward Harry, drawing a deep, rattling breath.

 _"Expecto Patronum!"_ Harry yelled. _"Expecto Patronum! Expecto_ -"

Without warning, Harry dropped like a ton of bricks.

"Harry!" Marcus yelled, running to him while his uncle put the boggart back into the package case.

Just as quick as he collapsed, he woke and said, "Sorry."

"Are you all right?" said Lupin.

"Yes..." Harry pulled himself up on one of the desks and leaned against it.

"Here -" his uncle handed him a Chocolate Frog. "Eat this before we try again. I didn't expect you to do it your first time, Harry; in fact, I would have been astounded if you had."

"It's getting worse," Harry muttered, biting off the Frog's head. "I could hear her louder that time - and him - Voldemort -"

His uncle looked paler than usual as he said, "Harry, if you don't want to continue, I will more than understand -"

"I do!" said Harry firecely, stuffing the rest of the Chocolate Frog into his mouth. "I've got to! What if the dementors turn up at our match against Ravenclaw? I can't afford to fall off again, and neither can Marcus! If we lose this game we've lost the Quidditch Cup!"

"All right, then..." said his uncle. "Marcus, it's your turn now. Harry, while Marcus is having a go, I suggest you select another memory, a happy memory, I mean, to concentrate on..That one doesn't seem to have been strong enough..."

As Harry went up against a wall, Marcus looked towards the package case, focusing with all his might on the memory he chose beforehand.

"Uncle, if I start to go crazy, do me a favor and slap me," said Marcus. "All right?"

"All right," said his uncle. "Ready?"

"Let's do this," said Marcus.

His uncle released the boggart, which immediately took the form of a dementor.

As the dementor made his way to Marcus, he felt himself immersing in the memory, allowing it to fill his every being as he said, _"Expecto Patronum, Expecto Patronum, Expecto Patronum -"_

However, before he knew it, he felt the Dementor grab his throat, forcing him to see the death of Orielle Caldwater again for a couple of seconds before he felt something strike his right cheek.

Immediately, Marcus realized that the boggart was put away, the lights were back, and he was on all fours.

"Marcus, are you okay?" Harry asked, his voice full of worry.

"I'll be okay," said Marcus, who certainly didn't feel that way. He wasn't able to summon even a wisp against the boggart dementor. How come?

"Marcus, try to focus on a different memory," said his uncle. "That one's not going to cut it."

Marcus hugged himself along the wall, thinking about a potential memory. He finally settled on winning the Quidditch Camp match, which he knew made him happy. He felt happy just thinking about it. He could remember the euphoria, the excitement of winning.

He felt confident about his new memory of choice as he saw Harry standing in the same spot as before.

"Ready?" said his uncle, gripping the box lid.

"Ready," said Harry, who looked like he was deep in concentration.

"Go!" said Lupin, pulling off the lid.

Like before, the room went icily cold and dark. The dementor glided towards Harry, drawing its breath; one rotting hand was extending towards Harry -

 _"Expecto Patronum!"_ Harry yelled. _"Expecto Patronum! Expecto Pat -"_

Again, Harry suddenly dropped to the floor, leaving his uncle to hurry and put the boggart away again.

"Harry!" his uncle called out. "Harry...wake up..."

His uncle was tapping Harry hard on the face. This time, it took Harry a full minute before he could recollect himself.

"I heard my dad," Marcus heard Harry mumble. "That's the first time I've ever heard him - he tried to take on Voldemort himself, to give my mum time to run for it..."

Marcus felt a little sorry for him. Orielle sacrificed herself just to ensure that he was safe from the Dark Prince, so he understood what Harry felt, hearing his dad.

"You heard James?" said his uncle in a strange voice.

"Yeah..." Harry dried off his face before looking up and saying, "Why - you didn't know my dad, did you?"

"I - I did, as a matter of fact," said Lupin. "We were friends at Hogwarts."

"Well, now it's my turn," said Marcus, who situated himself before the packing case while Harry stood against the wall.

Marcus, wand out, nodded his head, and his uncle let the boggart out.

A dementor came at him, wanting to grab his throat, that nasty, rotting corpse of a hand.

Marcus, determined not to let that happen, focus every part of his being on the Quidditch Camp Match and yelled, _"Expecto Patronum, Expecto Patronum, Expecto Patronum -"_

All of a sudden, he felt the rotting hand grab around his throat. This time, he was reliving the moments where the Dark Prince was slashing his torso with the lion fang, making that accursed X-filled crown...

The next moment, Marcus found himself on his back, his shirt soaked with blood, feeling just as weak and useless as he felt at five years old.

"Marcus, you're -" his uncle began.

"A minor problem," said Marcus with irritation as he cast his shirt aside, took a towel at the edge of the classroom, and started wiping the blood off his torso.

"Listen, boys - perhaps we should leave it here for tonight. This charm is ridiculously advanced...I shouldn't have suggested putting you two through this..."

"No!" yelled Marcus and Harry.

"We'll both have one more go!" said Harry, full of determination. "I'm not thinking of happy enough things, that's what it is...Hang on..."

Marcus laid standing up against the wall as he searched very deeply for another memory.

He decided on the end of the first year at Hogwarts, where Gryffindor won the House Cup, taking it away from Slytherin. He let the memory play in his head, over and over again, determined to at least make some headway with this training session. He would not allow himself to fail.

"Ready?" said Lupin, who looked as though he were doing this against his better judgment. "Concentrating hard? All right - go!"

He pulled off the lid again, the dementor rose out of it; the room fell cold and dark -

 _"EXPECTO PATRONUM!"_ Harry bellowed. _"EXPECTO PATRONUM! EXPECTO PATRONUM!"_

Then, it happened.

The dementor had halted. Suddenly, a huge, silver shadow came bursting out of the end of Harry's wand, hovering between Harry and the dementor. Marcus watched in awe as the dementor was being kept at bay. Then -

 _"Riddikulus!"_ roared his uncle, springing forward.

There was a loud crack, and Harry's cloudy Patronus vanished along with the dementor. Marcus saw Harry sinking into a chair as his uncle forced the silvery moon of a boggart into the packing case.

"Excellent!" his uncle said, striding over to where Harry sat and Marcus stood. "Excellent, Harry! That was definitely a start!"

"Yeah, that was definitely awesome!" said Marcus, his eagerness returning.

"Thanks, Marcus," said Harry. "Are you ready, Marcus?"

"Oh, definitely!" said Marcus, his eagerness fully returned. "I can do this!"

He hurried to the same spot as before, his uncle making his way to the packing case.

He focused like he never focused before on his happy memory of winning the House Cup, filling his every being, saying, "All right, Uncle, let it loose!"

His uncle opened it again, the dementor coming out, making his way to him.

 _"EXPECTO PATRONUM!"_ bellowed Marcus. _"EXPECTO PATRONUM! EXPECTO PATRONUM! EXPECTO -"_

Marcus then felt the rotting hand grab around his throat once more...

* * *

 _His attempts at grabbing the horrible, evil man failed miserably. He couldn't do anything more than shrug his body, for all the good it was doing._

"Yes, that's it," _said the evil man as he craned his neck back,_ "Come at me! Come at me with your hate, boy! It'll do you a lot more good than love ever will."

 _He saw that the evil man leaned forward and said,_ "Love is for the weak. Love is for fools who put their feelings ahead of logic and power. If you want to beat me, boy, you'd better bring your hate and ferocity."

 _Just as he was losing hope, just as he felt himself giving up, he heard a familiar voice cry out,_ "MARCUS!"

 _He looked as much as he could behind him to find -_

* * *

Suddenly, he found himself on his knees, the room was lit again.

He failed. He couldn't summon anything.

"Damn it!" he yelled, punching the floor with all his might, leaving a good few cracks in the floor.

He quickly got up on his feet, practically yelling, "Give me one more shot! Come on! I've got it this time -"

"No, Marcus!" his uncle said, extending his hands out to him, as if to restrain him. "Calm down! You've tried enough for tonight -"

"No!" said Marcus, who was starting to get delirious. "I can't let it end like this! I've got to try! I DON'T WANT TO RELIVE THAT WRETCHED MEMORY ANYMORE!"

"Marcus, take deep breaths," his uncle said firmly. "We'll make sure you succeed, Marcus, we will. But, let's take it one step at a time."

"Marcus," said Harry. "We've got plenty of time before the next match. You'll succeed, you always do."

It took him several minutes to calm him down and, even after he was able to control himself, he still was fuming.

 _"What am I doing wrong?"_ he angrily thought. _"How was Harry able to make progress when I couldn't?!"_

"Here, boys," said his uncle as he handed them both a large bar of Honeydukes's best chocolate.

"Eat the lot, or Madam Pomfrey will be after my blood. Same time next week?"

"Okay," said Harry.

"Absolutely," said Marcus. He wanted it to be tomorrow, but he knew that his uncle was busy, so he would most likely have to do training on his own time.

"Professor Lupin?" Harry said suddenly. "If you knew my dad, you must've known Sirius Black as well."

This statement not only got Marcus out of his state of anger, but back into reality as well. In fact, he felt almost fearful of the subject as he rounded on his uncle.

His uncle must've felt similiar, as he sharply said, "What gives you that idea?"

"Nothing - I mean, I just knew they were friends at Hogwarts too..."

His uncle's face relaxed as he said, "Yes, I knew him. Or I thought I did. You two'd better be off, boys, it's getting late."

As they walked down the corridor, they stopped at a suit of armor, finishing off their chocolate.

As Marcus swallowed the last bit, Harry asked, "Was that memory - the one with the Dark Prince - is it really that bad?"

Marcus felt angry all over again as he replied, "Yes. It's, without a doubt, the worst thing that's ever happened to me. Before, I was doing fine, because I couldn't recall everything that happened. But, now...now that most of the pieces are in place...now that I'm able to recall almost everything with great clarity...I just can't think straight. The only thing I want to do is wipe the Dark Prince from existence."

"And what about your happy memories?" Harry asked. "What happened to them?"

"That, I don't know," said Marcus. "I could feel it, I was even reliving those moments, but I didn't feel anything come, not even silvery wisps."

"We'll get it," said Harry, patting him on the back. "We have to. There's nothing else for it."

"What about your parents?" Marcus asked. "Hearing them everytime you go up against a dementor?"

"They're dead, Marcus," Harry told him sternly. "They're dead and listening to echoes of them is not going to bring them back."

Marcus felt a slight smirk on his face as he said, "Well, regardless, we'd better get a grip on ourselves if we want to get ahold of that Quidditch Cup."

Marcus watched Harry cram the last bit of chocolate before the two of them made their way back to Gryffindor Tower.

* * *

Ravenclaw played Slytherin a week after the start of term. Slytherin won, though narrowly. According to Wood, this was good news for Gyffindor, who would take second place if they beat Ravenclaw too. He therefore increased the number of team practices to five a week.

And Marcus was starting to crack.

Between his uncle's anti-dementor lessons, all the Quidditch practices, getting his homework done, doing his training twice a day with Lorelei, on top of visiting Sirius in the Forbidden Forest and trying to implement their plan to get a hold of Pettigrew, Marcus started to slip.

His performance in Quidditch practice was getting worse, he was barely maintaining his standard homework marks, he seemed to be hitting a wall in his training sessions, and he made no progress with the Patronus Charm when trying to do it on his own.

One evening, in the middle of his training session with Lorelei, she said, "So, tell me, how does the Patronus Charm work again?"

He sighed. He had avoided telling her, as they were busy mastering the other spells from the foreign educational books he had. This time, however, he gave in.

"The Patronus Charm, simply put, is a charm that's designed to repel a dementor," he explained. "The incantation only works when coupled with a singular, powerful, happy memory. You have to let the memory fill your entire being, swallow yourself in the memory's sea of emotions."

"Ah, okay," said Lorelei. "And what's the incantation?"

 _"Expecto Patronum,"_ he said.

"Do you mind if I give it a try?" asked Lorelei.

Marcus looked at her with a raised eyebrow, but said, "Sure, go right ahead."

Marcus sat on the floor, watching his training partner stand in the same place, taking deep breaths with closed eyes.

She did this for three minutes before opening her eyes, pointing her wand ahead of her, and yelled, _"Expecto Patronum!"_

Suddenly, a silver white blob erupted from her wand, looking as if it was going to take some sort of form before it dissipated.

Marcus, his eyes wide, rounded on her and asked, _"How in the world did you do that on your first try?!"_

Lorelei, blushing, said, "Well, I knew I had to think of a memory that made me the happiest. I locked onto the memory and just - well - did it."

Marcus, confused as ever, said, "I don't believe it. You almost succeeded in a spell beyond O.W.L. standards on your first try."

Then, out of nowhere, he yelled, "HOW COME I'M NOT GETTING IT?!"

"Um-"

He looked at Lorelei, who now looked uncertain of herself.

"You have an idea, don't you," said Marcus.

"Yes, but I don't want to say it," said Lorelei.

"No, please, I insist," said Marcus. "What am I doing wrong?"

Lorelei took a deep breath and said, "Think about all the things that you've ever done, Marcus. All of your accomplishments, your triumphs."

"Um, okay," said Marcus.

"Now, how did you feel after each accomplishment?" Lorelei asked him. "After each 'happy' event?"

"I was happy," said Marcus, not understanding where she was going. "I was glad and relieved and -"

"That's not it," said Lorelei, who looked as if she was embracing herself for the worst. "You felt satisfied, you felt back to normal. You don't draw happiness from your memories of accomplishment or triumphs because you _expected_ such results. You knew that, somehow, someway, you'd succeed. So, when they did come true, to you, they were just another thing you could remove from a checklist of expectations."

"So, you're saying that - that I don't -"

"That's right," she said, looking utterly sad. "Marcus, you don't have a single memory to truly draw happiness from."

Marcus felt like a ton of bricks just hit him on the head.

She was right. She was absolutely right. All the memories he was trying to rely on to make the Patronus Charm work for him were nothing but duds.

"What am I going to do then," he asked, his voice quivering.

"You can make new memories," suggested Lorelei. "Or try to put together an ideal memory, something that could bring a sense of peace or serenity."

"Yeah, that's an idea," said Marcus, who was thinking of possible "memories". "All right, let's finish out this training and call it a night."

* * *

Marcus, who just got done showering and dressed in his pajamas, joined Harry and Ron in the common room. He saw Hermione, once again, being buried in a sea of her own books, working tirelessly to stay on top of her classes.

"How's she doing it?" Ron muttered to Marcus and Harry.

"Doing what?" Harry asked.

"Getting to all her classes!" Ron said. "I heard her talking to Professor Vector, that Arithmancy witch, this morning. They were going on about yesterday's lesson, but Hermione can't've been there, because she was with us in Care of Magical Creatures! And Ernie Macmillan told me she's never missed a Muggle Studies class, but half of them are at the same time as Divination, and she's never missed one of them either!"

 _"That's because she's using a Time-Turner to do all those things,"_ thought Marcus, which was another thing that was greatly affecting his performance.

He knew so many things that he couldn't tell anyone. He knew that Sirius Black was currently in the Forbidden Forest, and that he was innocent; he knew that his uncle was a werewolf, something that he couldn't tell anyone, as the Wizarding World's view on werewolves were very negative; and he knew about Hermione's grand secret of being able to make it to all her classses, which he kept hidden out of respect for Hermione. He was constantly on the lookout for someone that could potentially suspect him of knowing these things that he shouldn't know, and that was gnawing away at him too.

In that moment, Marcus saw Wood coming up to Harry.

"Bad news, Harry. I've just been to see Professor McGonagall about the Firebolt. She - er - got a bit _shirty_ with me. Told me I'd got my priorities wrong. Seemed to think I cared more about winning the Cup than I do about you staying alive. Just because I told her I didn't care if it threw you off, as long as you caught the Snitch first." Wood shook his head in disbelief while Marcus facepalmed himself. "Honestly, the way she was yelling at me...you'd think I'd said something terrible...Then I asked her how much longer she was going to keep it..." He screwed up his face and imitated Professor McGonagall's severe voice. "'As long as necessary, Wood'...I reckon it's time you ordered a new broom, Harry. There's an order form at the back of _Which Broomstick..._ you could get a Nimbus Two Thousand and One, like Malfoy's got."

"I'm not buying anything Malfoy thinks is good," said Harry flatly.

As he was going through the first week of Feburary, Marcus saw Archie flying down to him that Wednesday morning with another envelope in his beak.

"Thanks, Archie," he said as he allowed Archie to have the remains of his breakfast. He saw that it was his father's writing before opening up the envelope and read:

 _Marcus,_

 _Sorry this took so long, but your Firebolt is finally finished. I told Archie to drop your broom in your dormitory, so as to not draw attention. Also, enclosed is your belated Christmas present. Feel free to share with your friends._

 _Love, Dad_

He looked into the envelope, as there was nothing else with the letter, to find four tickets.

He then pulled them out, looked at one of them, which read:

 _ **U.S. ALL-STARS VS IRISH INTERNATIONAL  
QUIDDITCH WORLD CUP SEMIFINAL  
MATCH**_

 _ **PATRIOTIC SUITE  
ADMIT ONE**_

It took Marcus several minutes to let the information sink in. He knew that the U.S. All-Stars had made it to the semifinals, and that they had to finally face Ireland, but -

"HOLY CRAP!" yelled Marcus, who quickly stowed the four tickets into his pockets and took off from the Great Hall to find Harry and Ron.

Eventually, he found them in the Gryffindor common room, going over their Transfiguration homework.

"Harry! Ron!" said Marcus. "I've got the most amazing thing to tell you!"

"What is it, Marcus?" asked Harry, who looked curious as to what Marcus had to say.

He whipped out the four tickets and said, "U.S. All-Stars vs Irish International, Quidditch World Cup Semifinal Match, set in the U.S.! And I hold four tickets to that match!"

"Bloody Hell!" said Ron as the two of them scrambled to Marcus, looking closer at the tickets Marcus was holding. "You get to go to that match?! Blimey, I wish I could go!"

"You can!" exclaimed Marcus. "Both you and Harry!"

"Are you serious?!" said Harry. "We can go with you to watch the match?!"

Marcus nodded, and the three of them could barely contain their excitement.

Just then, they heard Wood saying, "Now, really, what's all the excitement?"

Ron, unable to control himself, said, "Marcus, Harry, and I are going to watch the U.S. All-Stars taking on Irish International in the Semifinals!"

Wood's jaw dropped as he said, "What?! When?!"

Marcus looked closely at the ticket, saying, "It's set to take place the Saturday before Easter."

"Wait," said Harry. "What about our homework?" He then looked to Marcus and said, "Our anti-dementor lessons?"

"I'll help the both of you with your homework," said Marcus. "And I'm sure we'll make enough headway with that charm to hold off the dementors."

"That works for me!" said Ron, who was beside himself with glee.

"Crap!" said Marcus, noticing the time. "We're going to be late for Transfiguration! Let's get going, guys!"

They hurried themselves out of the common room, eager to _not_ get in trouble with Professor McGonagall.

* * *

The eupohria of being able to go to the U.S. semifinal match quickly wore off as the match with Ravenclaw drew nearer and nearer. While he got his custom-designed Firebolt back, Harry had still yet to get his. Eventually, pestering Professor McGonagall grated away at her until she finally told him off, telling him that she'll tell him when they've finished with it.

Even worse yet was the anti-dementor lessons. Several sessions had gone by, and all Harry could produce was an indistinct, silvery shadow every time the boggart-dementor drew near. This was far better than Marcus's attempts, however, as he wasn't even able to draw anything since the first session's wispy smoke, no matter what memory, real or imaginary, he drew upon.

"You're expecting too much of yourselves," said his uncle sternly in their fourth week of practice. "For a thirteen-year-old wizard, even an indistinct Patronus is a huge achievement."

"Yeah, be grateful you can get a silvery barrier up, Harry," said Marcus irritably. "I still haven't even done that yet!"

"Marcus, how come you're struggling with the spell?" Harry asked. "You usually would have it mastered by now."

"Well, I know why, thank to Lorelei," said Marcus. "All of my happy memories aren't really happy memories, they're just memories of satisfaction, of meeting an expectation. I don't have anything to truly draw happiness from."

"That would explain why you've been struggling," said his uncle. "I heard you've gotten tickets to see the semifinal match of the World Cup. Have you tried using that memory?"

"Not yet," said Marcus. "I guess I could. I wasn't exactly expecting that. Still, it won't bring forth a true Patronus."

"That reminds me," said Harry, who sounded a little disappointed. "Doesn't a true Patronus charge the dementors down or something? Make them disappear -"

"Yes, it does," replied his uncle. "But you've achieved a great deal in a very short space of time, Harry. If the dementors put in an appearance at your next Quidditch match, you will be able to keep them at bay long enough to get back to the ground."

"You said it's harder to do if there are a lot of them," said Marcus.

"I have complete confidence in the both of you," said his uncle, smiling. "Here - you two've earned a drink - something from the Three Broomsticks. You won't have tried it before -"

He pulled three bottles out of his briefcase.

"Butterbeer!" said Harry suddenly. "Yeah, I like that stuff!"

Marcus looked at Harry in worry. Was his friend going to let slip he'd snuck out to Hogsmeade already?

"Oh - Ron and Hermione brought me some back from Hogsmeade," Harry lied quickly.

"I see," said his uncle, who Marcus knew wasn't easily convinced. "Well - let's drink to a Gryffindor victory against Ravenclaw! Not that I'm supposed to take sides, as a teacher...," he added hastily.

They drank the butterbeer in silence until Marcus heard Harry say out of nowhere, "What's under a dementor's hood?"

Marcus suddenly spat out the portion of butterbeer he was drinking, suddenly remembering the dementor on the train earlier in the school year.

"Trust me, Harry, you don't want to know," said Marcus, shivering.

"Why's that?" asked Harry.

"Well, you see, Harry," said Lupin thoughtfully. "The dementor only lowers its hood only to use it last and worst weapon, so the people that have seen it with their own eyes are in no condition to tell us."

"What's that?"

"They call it the Dementor's Kiss," said Lupin, with a slightly twisted smile. "It's what dementors do to those they wish to destroy utterly. I suppose there must be some kind of mouth under there, because they clamp their jaws upon the mouth of the victim and - and suck out their soul."

Marcus suddenly imagined an out-of-body experience, making his shivering worse than before, while Harry accidentally spat out a bit of his butterbeer.

"What - they kill -?"

"Oh, no," said Lupin. "Much worse than that. You can exist without your soul, you know, as long as your brain and heart are still working. But you'll have no sense of self anymore, no memory, no...anything. There's no chance at all of recovery. You'll just - exist. As an empty shell. And your soul is gone forever...lost."

Marcus' uncle drank a little more butterbeer, then said, "It's the fate that awaits Sirius Black. It was in the _Daily Prophet_ this morning. The Ministry have given the dementors permission to perform it if they find him."

Marcus suddenly felt cold all over. His godfather, an innocent man, fated to have his soul sucked out of him?

 _"Not if I can help it,"_ thought Marcus.

"He deserves it," Harry said suddenly.

Marcus looked at Harry with apprehension as Lupin said lightly, "You think so? Do you really think anyone deserves that?"

"Yes," said Harry defiantly. "For...for some things..."

"There are some things that no one deserves to go through, Harry," Marcus said. "Getting your soul sucked out is one of them."

There was nothing else left to say, so Marcus and Harry finished their butterbeer, thanked Lupin, and left the History of Magic classroom.

Marcus' mindset changed greatly upon learning the Dementor's Kiss. He was so focused on trying to get the proof needed to secure his godfather's freedom that it didn't occur to him that such measures would be taken against Sirius. Now, not only did he have to try and get his hands on the rat, but he also had to make sure that he would still be able to go to his godfather without finding his lifeless body in the Forbidden Forest.

His mind was so wrapped around the potentially disastrous scenario that he walked headlong into Professor McGonagall halfway up the flight of stairs him and Harry were walking on.

"Potter, Williams, do watch where you're going!"

"Sorry, Professor -"

"I've just been looking for you in the Gryffindor common room, Potter. Well, here it is, we've done everything we could think of, and there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with it at all. You've got a very good friend somewhere, Potter..."

As Professor McGonagall held out Harry's Firebolt, which looked just as magnificent as before, Marcus thought with a smirk, _"Yeah, he does...his godfather, Sirius Black."_

"I can have it back?" Harry said weakly. "Seriously?"

"Seriously," said Professor McGonagall, and she was actually smiling. "I daresay you and Marcus'll need to get the feel of your brooms before Saturday's match, won't you? And boys - _do_ try and win, won't you? Or we'll be out of the running for the eighth year in a row, as Professor Snape was kind enough to remind me only last night..."

No words were exchanged as the two of them hurried toward Gryffindor Tower. As they turned a corner, they saw Ron dashing toward them, grinning from ear to ear.

"She gave it to you, Harry? Excellent! Listen, can I still have a go on it? Tomorrow?"

"Yeah...anything...," said Harry. "You know what - we should make up with Hermione...She was only trying to help..."

"Yeah, all right," said Ron. She's in the common room now - working for a change -"

They turned into the corridor to Gryffindor Tower and saw Neville Longbottom, pleading with Sir Cadogan, who seemed to be refusing him entrance.

"I wrote them down!" Neville was saying tearfully. "But I must've dropped them somewhere!"

"A likely tale!" roared Sir Cadogan. Upon spotting Marcus, Harry, and Ron, he said, "Good even, my fine young yeomen! Come clap this loon in irons. He is trying to force entry to the chambers within!"

"Oh, shut up," said Ron as he, Marcus, and Harry drew level with Neville.

"I've lost the passwords!" Neville told them miserably. "I made him tell me what passwords he was going to use this week, because he keeps changing them, and now I don't know what I've done with them!"

Marcus felt greatly uneasy as he knew what happened to them: Upon spotting them on Neville's beside table, Marcus had Crookshanks steal the lot and give them to Sirius in the Forbidden Forest.

 _"Sorry, Neville,"_ thought Marcus, _"but this is necessary."_

"Oddsbodikins," said Harry to Sir Cadogan, who looked extremely disappointed and reluctantly swung forward to let them into the commonn room. There was a sudden, excited murmur as every head turned and the next moment, Marcus and Harry were surrounded by people exclaiming over Harry's Firebolt.

"Where'd you get it, Harry?"

"Will you let me have a go?"

"Have you ridden it yet, Harry?"

"Ravenclaw'll have no chance, they're all on Cleansweep Sevens!"

"Can I just _hold_ it, Harry?"

After ten minutes or so, during which the Firebolt was passed around and admired from every angle, the crowd dispersed and the three of them were able to see Hermione clearly, the only person who hadn't rushed over to them, bent over her work and carefully avoiding their eyes. Marcus approached the table with Harry and Ron and at last, she looked up.

"I got it back," said Harry, who was grinning at her, holding up the Firebolt.

"See, Hermione? There wasn't anything wrong with it!" said Ron.

"Well - there _might_ have been!" said Hermione. "I mean, at least you know now that it's safe!"

"Yeah, now we can squash Ravenclaw _and_ keep Harry alive," said Marcus.

"That's true," said Ron.

"Well, I better put it upstairs -"

"I'll take it!" said Ron eagerly. "I've got to give Scabbers his rat tonic."

He took the Firebolt and, holding it as if it were made of glass, carried it away up the boys' staircase.

"Can I sit down, then?" Harry asked Hermione.

"I suppose so," said Hermione, moving a great stack of parchment off a chair.

Marcus stood next to the cluttered table, at the long Arithmancy essay on which the ink was still glistening, at the even longer Muggle Studies ("Explain Why Muggles Need Electricity"), and at the rune translation Hermione was now poring over.

"How are you getting through all this stuff?" Harry asked her.

"Oh, well - you know - working hard," said Hermione. Marcus looked at Hermione, noticing that she looked almost as tired as his uncle.

"Why don't you just drop a couple of subjects?" Harry asked, watching her lifting books as she searched for her rune dictionary.

"I couldn't do that!" said Hermione, looking scandalized.

"Well, Arithmancy looks a right sight of terror, if you ask me," said Marcus, who picked up a very complicated-looking number chart.

"Oh no, it's wonderful!" said Hermione earnestly. "It's my favorite subject! It's -"

At that precise moment, a strangled yell echoed down the boys' staircase. The whole common room fell silent, staring, petrified, at the entrance. Marcus enhanced his vision to find Ron gathering bed sheets and hurrying down the stairs.

 _"Oh, no,"_ thought Marcus. _"What just happened?"_

Ron leaped into view, dragging with him the bedsheet he saw before.

"LOOK!" he bellowed, striding over to Hermione's table. "LOOK!" he yelled, shaking the sheets in her face.

"Ron, what -?"

"SCABBERS! LOOK! SCABBERS!"

Hermione was leaning away from Ron, looking utterly bewildered. Marcus looked at the sheet Ron was holding. Marcus recognized it instantly to be -

"BLOOD!" Ron yelled into the stunned silence. "HE'S GONE! AND YOU KNOW WHAT WAS ON THE FLOOR?"

"N-no," said Hermione in a trembling voice.

Ron threw something down onto Hermione's rune translation. Marcus leaned forward to see several long, ginger cat hairs lying on top of Hermione's rune translation.

Marcus felt absolutely furious. He knew that Crookshanks was nowhere near the Gryffindor Tower, as he was busy giving the written passwords to Sirius, leaving only one other possible conclusion: Peter Pettigrew faked his death once again.

 **And this concludes this chapter of HP: Freedom's Path! Please feel free to leave a review of the story, as it'll serve to better myself as a writer. Or, if you want to ask me any questions, please feel free to leave me a PM and I will try to answer them to the best of my ability. Until then, keep your eyes peeled for the next chapter of HP: Freedom's Path!**


	12. (12) The Rebound

**Hello, one and all! Welcome to yet another chapter of HP: Freedom's Path! I figured I'd post this as a belated Valentine's Day present to each and every one of you who reads my series as a way of saying thanks and how happy I am that you do so, taking time out of your busy day! Also...**

 **Disclaimer: No, I repeat, NO ownership of HP with the exceptions of the OC's.**

 **Now, here's...**

Chapter 12: The Rebound

 **Enjoy, everyone!**

Marcus' morale was at an all-time low. Ron and Hermione were so angry with each other that it looked like it was the end of their friendship.

Ron was enraged that Hermione had never taken Crookshanks's attempts to eat Scabbers seriously, hadn't bothered to keep a close enough watch on him, and was still trying to pretend that Crookshanks was innocent by suggesting that Ron look for Scabbers under all the boys' beds.

Hermione, meanwhile, maintained fiercely that Ron had no proof that Crookshanks had eaten Scabbers, that the ginger hairs might have been there since Christmas, and that Ron had been prejudiced against her cat ever since Crookshanks had landed on Ron's head in the Magical Menagerie.

But, that was not the worst part of it all.

What was the worst followed right after Ron's confrontation with Hermione...

* * *

 _Marcus saw that both Hermione and Ron looked at him with fire in their eyes._

 _"Marcus!" said Ron. "Doesn't this look like Scabbers got eaten by Crookshanks?!"_

 _"Surely, you're not going to believe this wild tale, Marcus!" exclaimed Hermione. "Who are you going to believe, me or Ron?!"_

 _Marcus looked between the two, each of them looking for Marcus' answer._

 _Marcus knew the truth. He knew that Pettigrew had faked his death and framed it on Crookshanks. But, they weren't to know that._

 _They weren't to know the truth yet, not without proof._

 _There was only one thing that could be done, and he knew it was going to break his heart._

 _"ENOUGH!" yelled Marcus. "YOU'RE BOTH TOO STUBBORN TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOU'RE BOTH AT FAULT!"_

 _"Marcus!" said Ron and Hermione at the same time, startled._

 _"And, if you're not willing to see that, if you both continue to outright blame the other instead of burying the hatchet, then don't bother talking to me!"_

 _He then ran out of the common room to hide the tears flowing freely down his face..._

* * *

The scene was playing over in his mind again and again, Marcus knowing that what he did was absolutely terrible. But, he had no choice. To take one side would've resulted in Marcus having to explain why he did so, eventually forcing him to tell them what he knew, which he knew he couldn't do without proof.

He tried to keep it together as him and Lorelei were training in the Room of Requirement, but he couldn't. He just couldn't.

"I'm terrible," said Marcus. "Absolutely terrible."

Lorelei, who had seen the entire scene, said sincerely, "But, you had no choice. You had to do what you did."

"That still doesn't make it any less painful!" Marcus half-shouted. "They're two of my four best friends, and I had to cast them away from me, all because of that stupid coward of a rat!"

"Where is Pettigrew now?" asked Lorelei.

"That's the worst part," said Marcus, growling. "He's still in the dormitory, hiding under the mattress of Ron's four-poster."

"What?!" said Lorelei. "Then, why not grab him?"

"Because I'm going to let Sirius do it," said Marcus. "Besides, I want to lead Pettigrew in a false sense of security before I beat him to death!"

"You wouldn't -" gasped Lorelei.

"I will!" said Marcus, losing his grip. "He's making my year miserable! He's tearing my friends apart, he framed my godfather into taking his blame, and he got Harry's parents killed, all because he's too cowardly to get what he deserves! I can see why Sirius wants him now! But, he'll have to get in line!"

"NO!" said Lorelei. "Marcus, you'll get Pettigrew! You always find a way to succeed! But, let him suffer in Azkaban. No matter what, you don't want to end a person's life. You'll have to live the rest of your life with their blood on your hands."

Marcus took deep breaths to calm down before saying, "I think it's time we started practicing that spell."

"What spell?" asked Lorelei.

"The Limit Release Spell," said Marcus, holding up his American spell book he received from his Quidditch Camp team. "I've avoided using the spell because it's, quite frankly, dangerous."

"What does it do?"

"Well, simply put, it removes the natural inhibitors your body places on itself," said Marcus. "The incantation's not hard to say, and it doesn't even take much mental thought to cast it. The problem lies in extended use. The human body, or any body for that matter, was not designed to operate without limit for long periods of time. Sure, you go much faster, lift objects much heavier, and think much better and faster than normal, but you run the risk of dying. Keep the spell active too long, and your body will shut down."

"So, how will we go about using it?" asked Lorelei.

"We'll use it in five second bursts," said Marcus. "We'll work our way up, until we can safely use it for longer than a minute. However, we must never let the spell remain for any longer than five consecutive minutes, no matter what."

"Understood," said Lorelei.

"All right, let's get started," said Marcus, against his better judgment.

* * *

In no time at all, Gryffindor had it's final practice before the match against Ravenclaw. Marcus got there early, to avoid talking to Ron (and subsequently Harry).

Madam Hooch, who was still overseeing Gryffindor practices to keep an eye on Marcus and Harry, was just as impressed with the Firebolt as everyone else had been. She took Harry's Firebolt in her hands before takeoff and gave them the benefit of her professional opinion.

"Look at the balance on it! If the Nimbus series has a fault, it's a slight list to the tail end - you often find they develop a drag after a few years. They've updated the handle too, a bit slimmer than the Cleansweeps, reminds me of the old Silver Arrows - a pity they've stopped making them. I learned to fly on one, and a very fine old broom it was too..."

She continued in this vein for some time, until Wood said, "Er - Madam Hooch? Is it okay if Harry has his Firebolt back? We need to practice..."

"Oh - right - here you are, then, Potter," said Madam Hooch. "I'll sit over here with Weasley..."

Marcus looked at his own Firebolt, decorated in the same fashion as his previous broomstick, and smirked as he gathered around Wood for his final instructions with the rest of the Gryffindor team.

"Harry, I've just found out who Ravenclaw is playing as Seeker. It's Cho Chang. She's a fourth year, and she's pretty good...I really hoped she wouldn't be fit, she's had some problems with injuries..." Wood scowled his displeasure that Cho Chang had made a full recovery, then said, "On the other hand, she rides a Comet Two Sixty, which is going to look like a joke next to the Firebolt."

He gave both Harry's and Marcus's brooms looks of fervent admiration, then said, "Okay, everyone, let's go -"

Finally, the moment he'd been waiting for had arrived. Marcus mounted his star-spangled Firebolt and kicked off the ground.

It was an absolute dream. The Firebolt moved at his lightest touch, obeyed his thoughts rather than his grip, and he sped across the field at such a speed that everything was a blur.

He felt very confident that he could pull off moves he never thought possible, or didn't dare to try. He passed, caught at miraclous positions, and scored in such ways that Marcus felt thouroughly happy about.

It was, without a doubt, the best practice ever; the team, inspired by the presence of having two Firebolts in their midst, performed their best moves faultlessly, and by the time they hit the ground again, Wood didn't have a single criticism to make which, as George Weasley pointed out, was a first.

"I can't see what's going to stop us tomorrow!" said Wood. "Not unless - Harry, Marcus, you've sorted out the dementor problem, haven't you?"

"Yeah," said Marcus and Harry. Marcus felt bad having to completely lie; if the dementors showed up at the match, there wouldn't be anything he could do about it.

"The dementors won't turn up again, Oliver. Dumbledore'd go ballistic," said Fred confidently.

"Well, let's hope not," said Wood. "Anyway - good work, everyone. Let's get back to the tower...turn in early -"

"I'm staying out for a bit; Ron wants a go on the Firebolt," Marcus heard Harry tell Wood.

Marcus didn't get a chance to take a step towards the locker room when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

He looked to find Wood holding said shoulder, saying, "Wait a moment, Marcus. I need to talk to you."

Marcus, unsure of what Wood wanted to talk to him about, said, "Um, okay."

Wood waited until everyone was out of earshot and said, "I didn't want to say this in front of everyone, and forgive me for saying this to you now, but Angelina, Katie, and I have noticed that your performance has been -"

"Has been what?" said Marcus, who started to get nervous.

"Well, it's been subpar," said Wood, looking greatly uncomfortable. "I didn't want to say anything, thinking that everything would be all right when you got your Firebolt back. But, I can see that nothing's changed."

"Did you not see me out at practice today?!" said Marcus, both confused and angry. "I was doing good!"

"You're better than good, Marcus," said Wood. "You're capable of being the best Chaser Hogwart's ever seen, and you know it. Now, the three of us have talked about it, and we agree that, if your performance in the match is the same as it has been this last month, I'm going to temporarily remove you from the team."

"Remove me from the team?!" asked Marcus, thunderstruck. "What good would that do?! Especially with our chance at the Quidditch Cup!"

"Look, it's obvious that there's a lot of things going on with you right now," said Wood. Marcus was about to argue when Wood put a hand up and said, "I'm not going to get in your business, and I do agree with you, Marcus: Removing you from the team will really damage our chances to get the Cup. But, I don't have a choice, Marcus. Angelina, Katie, and Professor McGonagall all agree that, whatever's going with you right now, it's cutting into your Quidditch performance and you're not focused. If you do get removed from the team, you'll just have to sort whatever's going on before coming back to the team. And Professor McGonagall will be the one that will let you back on the team when the time is right, should it come down to that. I'll see you in the morning, Williams."

Marcus didn't know how to feel. He watched Wood walk back to the locker room, still shocked from what he told him.

He hurried to Harry, who was watching Ron having a fantastic time on the Firebolt, and said, "Harry, please make sure my Firebolt gets to my bed. I need some time alone."

Before Harry could ask him what happened, Marcus ran out of the stadium as fast as he could and into the Forbidden Forest.

He shifted as soon as he was in the forest enough, bounding inbetween trees until, at last, he reached it: The clearing that had Sirius.

Sirius, in his Animagus form, stood up on his legs and whined, sensing that all was not well with Marcus.

Marcus shifted back to normal and started to cry, sobbing uncontrollably.

Sirius shifted back to normal and asked, "Marcus, what's wrong?"

Marcus, between sobs, told him what had happened in Quidditch practice.

Sirius held Marcus in his arms as he said, "Oh, Marcus, I'm so sorry I'm making you carry my burden."

"I told you," said Marcus as he tried to control himself, "I'm going to help you clear your name. And we'll get our hands on that miserable, cowardly rat, if it's the last thing I do! Speaking of which, our plan's taken a turn for the better."

"What do you mean?" asked Sirius.

Marcus then told him exactly what happened with Pettigrew and his staged death.

"Well, faking it did work once before," said Sirius, looking quite angry.

"He's hiding under Ron's mattress, thinking himself safe because everyone thinks he's dead," said Marcus, his words spitting with venom. "Well, tomorrow night, we'll make sure he's dead, one way or the other."

"So, tomorrow night, huh?" asked Sirius.

"Yep," said Marcus, revealing his twisted grin. "Tomorrow night, I'll -"

He then heard growling from behind him and Marcus whipped around in time to see an actual wolf leap at him.

He moved his right arm out in time, but the wolf latched his teeth into his right thigh.

Marcus roared in pain and anger, punching the wolf off of him. The animal sprawled out ten feet away from him.

Marcus saw that Sirius had already shifted back into a dog, but Marcus roared, "NO! HE'S MINE!"

Marcus then shifted into Leo and, upon seeing his new, terrifying animal form, the wolf bolted through the trees.

He wasn't going to let the wolf get away, not after what it did. He chased after the wolf, through bushes and around trees until it got out of the woods.

The wolf paused for a second to look at something, which was its fatal mistake.

He brought the wolf down easily, pinning it with his left front paw. Quite menacingly, he grabbed the wolf's head with his teeth and the wolf started to whine, almost as if it was begging for mercy.

In one swift stroke, he ripped the wolf's head clean from the body, releasing the head from his jaws.

He wasn't finished, not by a long shot. Taking his rage, his anger, and his frustration out on the corpse, he ripped whatever he could apart. Limbs, organs, ribs, spine, it didn't matter. He ripped them completely apart, strewing the different parts around him.

Finally, when there was nothing left of the wolf's body, he looked up.

He suddenly realized why the wolf stopped for a second. It was because he spotted Fred and George Weasley, who was looking at him, wide-eyed.

He looked to the sky and roared, roared as loud as he could, multiple times before he rushed back into the Forbidden Forest.

Eventually, he was able to come back into the same clearing, shifted back to normal, and said, "Well, that wolf won't bother us anymore."

"Marcus, are you feeling okay?" asked Sirius.

"Actually, I'm feeling pretty relieved, since I was able to lash out at the wolf."

"No, I meant your leg."

"Oh," said Marcus as he looked at where the wolf had bitten him.

Luckily, the teeth didn't sink too far into his thigh, but he would definitely have to get it looked at after the match tomorrow.

"Yeah, I think I'll be okay. So, anyway, tomorrow night, I'll come to you before you infiltrate the castle. I'll be waiting in the common room, pretending to be asleep. Then, we carry out the plan."

"Yes," said Sirius, the hungry look in his eyes returning. "You better go and get some rest. You have a big match tomorrow."

"All right, then," said Marcus. "Remember, tomorrow night, we strike."

He then exited the Forbidden Forest, only looking back on his godfather once...

* * *

Despite telling his godfather that it was nothing, it was apparent that it was starting to hurt him more and more. By the time he had gotten to the common room, Marcus could barely walk with his right leg.

Lorelei, who was waiting in the common room, said, "There you - what happened to your leg?!"

"Shh!" said Marcus, trying to avoid other people listening before he explained what happened in the Forbidden Forest.

"Wait by the fireplace," Lorelei said when he finished. "I'll be right back."

As he saw her go up into her dormitory, Marcus hobbled to the fireplace and sat on the floor in front of it.

He eventually saw Lorelei coming back down, saying, "You're lucky everyone's at dinner right now. Otherwise, this'd be a mess."

"I know," said Marcus. He saw a bottle in her hand and asked, "What's that?"

"My family's secret remedy recipe," said Lorelei. "Show me the wound."

He tore apart what remained of his right pant leg to see that the teeth marks were starting to turn a different color.

Lorelei, with great speed and care, dabbed a bit of the liquid in each teeth wound, and Marcus watched in awe as the wounds closed up. In fact, by the time she was done, Marcus's leg was completely healed.

"What exactly is in that bottle?" asked Marcus.

"I can't tell you," said Lorelei. "Listen, Marcus, is it true that you might get removed from the Quidditch Team? I overheard Harry talking about it with Ron."

"Y - yeah, it's true," said Marcus. "I don't know what to do, though."

Lorelei then leaned against the front of the couch and did something that caught Marcus completely by surprise: She dragged him over to her until he was only a foot away from her.

"What the - ?!"

"Marcus, I want you to relax," whispered Lorelei. "Forget everything else and just focus on your breathing."

He found it very hard to do what she was saying. He felt his face getting hot, his breathing erratic. He didn't know why his body was reacting like this.

"Breath, Marcus, breath," whispered Lorelei.

He started to take deep breaths and noticed, while he was taking deep breaths, that Lorelei started to massage his back. He felt like his body was starting to melt away, the pressure was getting released.

He felt her fingers work their way up his back, then at the shoulders and then to the back of his neck.

He felt serene, completely relaxed. He hadn't felt anything like this in his entire life.

"Marcus, is it all right if I touch your head?" asked Lorelei.

"If it was anyone else asking that, I'd say no," said Marcus. "But -" he felt his face reddening, " - if - if it's you - then - then it's all right."

He then felt Lorelei massaging his head, and he suddenly drifted away...

* * *

He saw a packed crowd in the Quidditch Stadium, roaring for him and for Gryffindor. He was on Gryffindor's side of the pitch, and he had the Quaffle in his possession.

He streaked down the field, going faster than he thought possible. He dodged the Ravenclaw Chasers with ease before juking the Keeper off of his broom, scoring the winning point for Gryffindor.

He raised his right arm in victory. He wasn't worrying about his performance in classes or training, nor was he worried about Pettigrew or Sirius or having to keep so many secrets. All he cared was how he helped win Gryffindor their match, how he did his part.

He saw his teammates bombarding him, all shouting, "Marcus, Marcus, Marcus..."

* * *

"Marcus, Marcus," he heard a familiar voice say.

He opened his eyes and found himself a little disoriented.

He was in his four-poster bed, and Harry was over him, trying to wake him up.

"Harry, what time is it?" said Marcus groggily.

"It's morning already," said Harry. "Come on, it's time for breakfast."

"Really?" asked Marcus, a little confused. "Well, all right. Let me get dressed first."

As he was getting dressed, he somehow realized that his mind was inexplicably clear. He was only focused on the match. Everyone else would work itself out, he knew it. He didn't know why he wasn't able to focus like he usually could before now. All he knew was that he was back.

As Marcus and Harry went down to breakfast with the rest of the boys in their dormitory, all of whom seemed to think the Firebolts deserved a sort of guard of honor. As Marcus and Harry entered the Great Hall, heads turned in the direction of the Firebolts, and there was a good deal of excited muttering. Marcus saw the thunderstrucked looks on the Slytherin team's faces, but didn't dwell on it. He kept focusing on the match.

"Did the two of you see his face?" said Ron gleefully, looking back at Malfoy. "He can't believe it! This is brilliant!"

Wood, too, was basking in the reflected glory of the Firebolts.

"Put them here, boys," he said, laying the brooms in the middle of the table and carefully turning them so that their names faced upward. People from the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables were soon coming over to look. Lots of people admired the custom look of his Firebolt, but he merely waved in thanks, focusing on different scenarios and what to do should they arise.

"Now, now, Penny, no sabotage!" Marcus heard Percy say heartily as she examined Harry's Firebolt closely. "Penelope and I have got a bet on," he told the team. "Ten Galleons on the outcome of the match.

As she put Harry's Firebolt back, thanking him, Percy whispered something in Harry's ear and then said aloud, "Yes, I'm coming, Penny!"

"Sure you can manage those brooms, Potter, Williams?" said a cold, drawling voice.

Draco Malfoy had arrived for a closer look, Crabbe and Goyle right behind him.

"Yeah, reckon so," said Harry casually.

"Got plenty of special features, hasn't it?" said Malfoy, eyes glittering maliciously. "Shame they don't come with parachutes - in case you two get too near a dementor."

Crabbe and Goyle sniggered.

"Pity you can't attach an extra arm to yours, Malfoy," said Harry.

"Then it could catch the Snitch for you," Marcus finished.

The Gryffindor team laughed loudly. Malfoy's pale eyes narrowed, and he stalked away. They watched him rejoin the rest of the Slytherin team, who put their heads together, no doubt asking Malfoy whether or not Harry and Marcus's brooms were really Firebolts.

Marcus grabbed his broom and departed for the locker room fifteen minutes before the rest of the team. He wanted some time to himself, to do his ritual before a Quidditch match: Immerse himself entirely in the Quidditch mindset.

By the time he was finished getting dressed and completed the ritual, the rest of the team had arrived.

He also was ready in case dementors decided to show up. He didn't know how, but he felt more than confident that he could succeed.

"Williams, are you -" Marcus heard Oliver starting to say, but stopped upon seeing Marcus's face. His Captain smiled and said, "Knock them dead out there, Williams."

Marcus joined the rest of the team, feeling ready for the match. As they prepared to leave the locker rooms, Wood said, "You know what we've got to do. If we lose this match, we're out of the running. Just - just fly like you did in practice yesterday, and we'll be okay!"

They walked out onto the field to tumultuous applause. The Ravenclaw team, dressed in blue, were already standing in the middle of the field. Marcus looked at their Chasers, Jeremey Stretton, Randolph Burrow, and Captain Roger Davies, who were all looking at him. He knew they were worried and, in Marcus's opinion, they should be.

"Wood, Davies, shake hands," Madam Hooch said briskley, and Wood shook hands with the Ravenclaw Captain.

"Mount your brooms...on my whistle...three - two - one -"

Marcus, at his first opportunity, rocketed towards the Quaffle, grabbing it seconds before Davies and shot towards the goals. He wanted everyone to know that Marcus Williams was going to set the new standard.

He saw Stretton and Burrows coming at him and merely weaved through them, taunting them, before he suddenly shot towards his right goal hoop and threw it in before the Ravenclaw Keeper would react.

He could hear the crowd erupting in cheer, but he didn't focus on that. He instead focused on Davies, who was making his way towards the Gryffindor hoops, trying to get past Angelina.

Marcus, having none of that, went towards the ground before leveling out a few feet above the ground, still flying in the direction of Davies. He kept it that way until he was right under Davies, then rocketed upwards, punching the Quaffle out from under Davies's right arm. He saw Katie Bell catching it and went the other way with Johnson.

Eventually, the score was seventy-zero, Gryffindor in the lead. By the time that they scored the fifth goal, Marcus kept having Bludgers coming at him. This forced him to dodge or bat the Bludgers away with his armguards, messing him up and irritating the hell out of him.

Marcus reached Wood in time for him to pass the Quaffle to him and Wood yelled, "Marcus, show them what it really means to go up against a top-class Chaser and his Firebolt!"

 _"You got it!"_ thought Marcus as he moved down the pitch.

He urged the Firebolt to go faster, just screaming down to the Ravenclaw goal posts. He saw the Bludgers come at him, but outstripped them. Davies tried getting to him and so did Stretton and Burrow, but he was going much too fast for them to get him.

He situated himself inbetween his center and right goal post and thought, _"All right, time for a forward-moving Cyclone Psych!"_

He leaped foward, waiting for just one second before twirling in circles. Marcus saw that the Keeper was sticking to the center hoop, so he shot the Quaffle to the right hoop, which was an easy score.

"And Marcus Williams destroys the Ravenclaw team, making the score eighty to zero, Gryffindor!" yelled Jordan. "Wow, look at Marcus and Harry go! They're really putting the Firebolts through their paces now. I tell you all, the Firebolt's precision-balance is really noticeable in these long -"

"JORDAN! ARE YOU BEING PAID TO ADVERTISE FIREBOLTS? GET ON WITH THE COMMENTARY!" Professor McGonagall blasted at Jordan.

The Ravenclaw team decided to switch their strategy around, as they deicded to have one Chaser get in Marcus's way while blasting the bludgers at Angelina and Katie. Marcus couldn't get past Davies, who was outmaneuvering him, which caused Burrows and Stretton to take full advantage of the situation and scored three goals for Ravenclaw.

 _"Damn, Davies is starting to get really annoying!"_ thought Marcus.

"Let's see how you like this, Davies!" roared Marcus.

He then jumped off his broom, over Davies while intercepting the Quaffle, his broom came underneath him, he landed on his Firebolt and screamed up the pitch once more.

 _"Nothing's going to stop me now!"_ thought Marcus.

In that moment, however, Marcus heard Ravenclaw's Seeker, Cho Chang, scream, "Oh!"

Marcus looked quickly to see that she was pointing downward, which led to Marcus seeing three tall, black, hooded dementors looking up.

Marcus passed the Quaffle to Katie as he quickly summoned his wand. As he gripped it, it happened.

His mind jumped immediately to the night before, when Lorelei was giving him a massage. He could still remember her touch, how it felt so good. Then, he pictured her, smiling at him after the latest training session, full of joy and wonder, filling him up and overtaking him.

 _"Expecto Patronum!"_

Something silver-white, something enormous, erupted from the end of his wand. He was instantly overjoyed that he was able to cast it, and even more so knowing he had shot directly at the dementors. He turned back to the Ravenclaw Keeper, his mind still clear somehow, and saw Katie getting ready for a shot.

He didn't fly three feet forward when he heard Madam Hooch's whistle sounding off. He looked and found Harry, clutching the Snitch.

Marcus zoomed to meet him, along with the other teammates, and patted him on the back, congratulating him on a job well done.

"That's my boy!" yelled Wood before he looked at Marcus, who was shifting uncomfortably on his broom, and yelled, "Welcome back, Marcus!"

Marcus smirked as he landed on the ground, looking to see a gaggle of Gryffindor supporters sprinting onto the field, Ron in the lead. Before he knew it, Harry and him were engulfed by the cheering crowd.

"Yes!" Ron yelled, yanking Harry's and Marcus's arms into the air. "Yes! Yes!"

"Well _done_ , Harry!" said Percy, looking delighted. "Ten Galleons to me! Must find Penelope, excuse me -"

"Good for you, Harry! Nice playing, Marcus!" roared Seamus Finnigan.

"Ruddy brilliant!" boomed Hagrid over the heads of the milling Gryffindors.

"Those were quite some Patronuses," said a voice in Marcus' and Harry's ears.

Both of them turned around to see Marcus' uncle, who looked both shaken and pleased.

"The dementors didn't affect me at all!" Harry said excitedly. "I didn't feel a thing!"

"Yeah, that was easy!" said Marcus. "We sure showed them!"

"Well, that would be because they - er - weren't dementors," said his uncle. "Come and see -"

He lead Marcus and Harry out of the crowd until they were able to see the edge of the field.

"You two gave Mr. Malfoy quite a fright," said Lupin.

Marcus couldn't help but smirk. Lying in a crumpled heap on the ground were Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, and Marcus Flint, the Slytherin team Captain, all struggling to remove themselves from long, black, hooded robes. It looked as though Malfoy had been standing on Goyle's shoulders, Standing over them, with an expression of the utmost fury on her face, was Professor McGonagall.

"An unworthy trick!" she was shouting. "A low and cowardly attempt to sabotage the Gryffindor Chaser and Seeker! Detention for all of you, and fifty points from Slytherin! I shall be speaking to Professor Dumbledore about this, make no mistake! Ah, here he comes now!"

If anything could've set the seal on Gryffindor's victory, it was this. Ron, who had fought his way through to their side, doubled up with laughter as they watched Malfoy fighting to extricate himself from the robe, Goyle's head still stuck inside it.

"Come on, Harry, Marcus!" said George, fighting his way over. "Party! Gryffindor common room, now!"

"Right," said Marcus, who felt happier than he felt in since the beginning of the school year. Him and the rest of the team led the way, still in their scarlet robes, out of the stadium and back up to the castle.

* * *

It felt as though they had already won the Quidditch Cup; the party went on all day and well into the night. However, Marcus had to dip out, to let Sirius know of when to enter Hogwarts.

He easily got to the Forbidden Forest and made his way to the clearing, where Sirius was waiting for him in his human form.

"All right, Sirius, every Gryffindor is still in party mode," said Marcus. "The way they're going, they won't stop until they're told to, so I'd guess three in the morning will be the perfect time to initiate our plan."

"How will I know the time?" said Sirius, gesturing to himself.

"Here," said Marcus, as he gave him a watch. "I nicked this from Ron's drawer. Hopefully, he won't notice. How long will it take to for you to get into Hogwarts?"

"About a half-hour," Sirius stated.

"All right, I'll be waiting in the common room, like we planned," stated Marcus. "Remember, Pettigrew is under Ron's mattress, which is next to mine. Mine is closest to the window, so the one on the left."

"Left of your bed, which is closest to the window," repeated Sirius.

"After that, make a quick grab, get out of the dormitory, and I'll be ready to render you invisible. If all goes smoothly, Pettigrew will be ours tonight."

"What if he's not?" asked Sirius.

"Then, it'll at least drive him out of the castle," stated Marcus. "He'll be at our leisure, as I'll be able to see him with my Negative Vision when I'm Leo."

"Fair enough," growled Sirius.

"Remember, grab and run," stated Marcus. "Nothing more, nothing less."

He then hugged his godfather, which surprised him for a bit before he hugged him back.

"We'll get your freedom, Sirius, I promise," Marcus said.

"Thank you, Marcus. I'm grateful to you," Sirius said.

They then spent a little while longer out in the Forbidden Forest before Marcus said good-bye to his godfather. He wished he could've stayed longer, but he couldn't risk being away from the party for too long and raise suspicions.

* * *

He was going down the corridor to the portrait when he heard, "Oi, old geezer! Great timing! Here, carry these bags for us."

Marcus turned in time to grab two full bags of what he surmised to be Honeydukes sweets.

He saw the armfuls of butterbeer, pumpkin fizz, and more bags of sweets and said, "You guys snuck off to Honeydukes and back?"

"Of course, old timer," said Fred with a mischievous grin.

"Can't have a party without refreshments, right?" said George with a grin just like Fred's.

Marcus smirked as he said, "Fair enough," as Fred gave Sir Cadogan the password and the three of them came in with the loot, causing everyone to cheer with joy.

"How did you do that?" squealed Angelina.

"With a little help from Moony, Maney, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs," whispered George into his and Harry's ears.

Marcus then spent what remained of the party pretending to crash on the couch. Lorelei had already went to the dormitory, knowing what Marcus and Sirius were planning to do. As he thought before, Professor McGonagall showed up in the common room around one in the morning, insisting that they all go to bed.

Marcus went up to the dormitory with everyone else, waited for an hour, and then silently went back into the common room.

For another excruciating hour, Marcus waited by the fireplace, keeping the fire going while hoping against hope that the plan would succeed, because if it didn't, their chances of getting Pettigrew would be smaller than it ever was before.

Sure enough, at exactly three in the morning, Marcus heard the portrait door open. He looked to find Sirius Black, looking at him with a smile.

 _"At least he was able to get in here,"_ thought Marcus as he pointed to the boys' dormitory. Sirius nodded his head and quitely made his way up the steps.

He then took his place right next to the corridor leading back to the portrait hole. He didn't want to take any chances and get caught off guard.

Time seemed to have slowed down for Marcus. How long would it take for Sirius to grab Pettigrew? A minute? Perhaps five?

However, Marcus heard something that caused both his heart to drop to his stomach and freeze in fear.

"AAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHH! NOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Marcus internally swore, cursing what he knew had to be rotten luck. Nothing but the freakiest of circumstances would've derailed the plan.

He saw Sirius bounding towards the corridor, hurrying on out.

 _"Absconditus!"_ Marcus whispered, hitting Sirius on the head with the spell.

Knowing that his work was done, he hurried to the couch and positioned himself in a way that it looked like he was fast asleep.

He heard the different voices from around him.

"Who shouted?"

"What're you doing?"

He felt someone shaking him. Marcus slowly opened his eyes to find Lorelei, mouthing the words, "Get up and act surprised."

Marcus stretched as he heard someone say, "Are you _sure_ you weren't dreaming, Ron?"

"I'm telling you, I saw him!" He then looked at Marcus and said, "Marcus! Did you see him?!"

"I'm sorry, Ron," Marcus said to him, frowning. "I just woke up. I didn't hear anything before now."

"Professor McGonagall told us to go to bed!" said a fourth year student.

Everyone started to come to the common room as Fred Weasley said brightly, "Excellent, are we carrying on?"

"Everyone back upstairs!" said Percy, hurrying into the common room and pinning his Head Boy badge to his pajamas as he spoke.

"Perce - Sirius Black!" said Ron faintly. "In our dormitory! With a knife! Woke me up!"

Marcus was alarmed at what Ron was saying. There wasn't supposed to be a knife involved in the plan. Just how and why did Sirius have a knife with him?!

The common room went very still as Percy, who looked startled, said, "Nonsense! You had too much to eat, Ron - had a nightmare -"

"I'm telling you -"

"Now, really, enough's enough!" said a familiar, stern voice.

Professor McGonagall was back. She slammed the portrait behind her as she entered the common room and stared furiously around.

"I am delighted that Gryffindor won the match, but this is getting ridiculous! Percy, I expected better of you!"

"I certainly didn't authorize this, Professor!" said Percy, puffing himself up indignantly. "I was just telling them all to get back to bed! My brother Ron here had a nightmare -"

"IT WASN'T A NIGHTMARE!" Ron yelled. "PROFESSOR, I WOKE UP, AND SIRIUS BLACK WAS STANDING OVER ME, HOLDING A KNIFE!"

Professor McGonagall stared at him.

"Don't be ridiculous, Weasley, how could he possibly have gotten through the portrait hole?"

"Ask him!" said Ron, pointing a shaking finger at the back of Sir Cadogan's picture. "Ask him if he saw -"

Glaring suspiciously at Ron, Professor McGonagall pushed the portrait back open and went outside. As the whole common room listened with bating breath, Marcus mentally braced himself for what he knew was going to happen next.

"Sir Cadogan, did you just let a man enter Gryffindor Tower?"

"Certainly, good lady!" cried Sir Cadagon.

The effect was immediate. Both inside and outside the common room, there was a stunned silence, the air so thick with tension, it could've been cut with a knife.

"You - you _did_?" said Professor McGonagall. "But - but the password!"

"He had 'em!" said Sir Cadogan proudly. "Had the whole week's my lady! Read 'em off a little piece of paper!"

Marcus blanched as he saw Professor McGonagall pulling herself back the portrait hole to face the stunned crowd, her face white as chalk.

"Which person," she said, her voice shaking. "which abysmally foolish person wrote down this week's passwords and left them lying around?"

Guilt weighed down Marcus like a ton of bricks as he heard the terrified squeaks of Neville Longbottom, who was trembling from head to fluffy-slippered toes as he raised his hand slowly into the air.

 **And this concludes another chapter of HP: Freedom's Path! Please feel free to leave a review, as it'll serve to better myself as a writer. Also, if you want to ask me a question, please feel free to leave me a PM and I promise that I'll answer to the best of my abilities. Until then, keep your eyes peeled for the next chapter of HP: Freedom's Path!**


	13. (13) The Antics of An Ugly Git

**Welcome, everyone, to the next installment of HP: Freedom's Path! Not much else to say except...**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of HP save for OC's.**

 **Now, here's...**

Chapter 13: The Antics Of An Ugly Git

 **Enjoy, one and all!**

Marcus knew that the plan would have ramifications. However, he didn't realize just how big they would be.

Not one person in Gryffindor Tower was able to go back to sleep, as they knew that the castle was, once again, being searched. They stayed awake, awaiting to hear the results of said search. It wasn't until dawn that Professor McGonagall came back and told them all that he had escaped once again.

The new security measures being placed on the castle throughout the day were some of the most strict implementations Marcus had ever seen. Professor Flitwick could be seen teaching the front doors to recognize a large picture of Sirius Black; Filch was suddenly bustling up and down the corridors, boarding up everything from tiny cracks in the walls to mouse holes.

Luckily, Sir Cadogan had been fired and taken up to its lonely landing on the seventh floor. The Fat Lady had returned, having been expertly restored, but still feeling extremely nervous. To ensure that her safety was secure, and much to Marcus's great dislike, a bunch of surly security trolls had been hired to guard her. Not only did this prove to be a waste of time, as all they did was pace the corridor and compare the size of their clubs, but it was a nuisance to Marcus everytime he wanted to sneak past them.

Marcus, along with Harry, couldn't help but notice that the statue of the one-eyed witch on the third floor remained unguarded and unblocked. It seemed that Fred and George had been right in thinking that they - and now Marcus, Harry, Ron, and Hermione - were the only ones who knew about the hidden passageway within it.

"D'you reckon we should tell someone?" Harry asked Marcus and Ron.

"We know he's not coming in through Honeydukes," said Ron dismissively.

"Yes, definitely not," said Marcus. "We would know if the shop had been broken into."

Marcus, however, wasn't entirely sure on that view.

Ron had become an instant celebrity. For the first time in his life, people were paying more attention to him than to either Marcus or Harry, and it was clear that Ron was rather enjoying the experience. Though still severly shaken by the night's events, he was happy to tell anyone who asked what had happened, with a wealth of detail.

"...I was asleep, and I heard this ripping noise, and I thought it was in my dream, you know? But then there was this draft...I woke up and one side of the hangings on my bed had been pulled down...I rolled over...and I saw him standing over me...like a skeleton, with loads of filthy hair...holding this great long knife, must've been twelve inches...and he looked at me, and I looked at him, and then I yelled, and he _scampered_."

"Why, though?" Ron added to Harry as the group of second-year girls who had been listening to his chilling tale departed. "Why did he run?"

 _"Because his target wasn't you, it was Pettigrew,"_ thought Marcus with great annoyance.

Marcus still wasn't talking to Ron, despite all that had happen. He knew he wanted to, but he still had to remember his promise not to talk to either Ron or Hermione until they buried the hatchet.

"He must've known he'd have a job getting back out of the castle once you'd yelled and woken people up," said Harry thoughtfully. "He'd have had to kill the whole House to get back through the portrait hole...then he would've met the teachers..."

The thing that made Marcus feel guilty the most wasn't the new security measures being placed on Hogwarts or even that Sirius was carrying a knife on him without Marcus knowing it. No, it was Neville Longbottom.

Having been absolutely disgraced, Professor McGonagall was so furious with him she had banned him from all future Hogsmeade visits, given him a detention, and forbidden anyone to give him the password into the tower. It broke Marcus's heart to see poor Neville waiting outside the common room every night for somebody to let him in while the security trolls leered unpleasantly at him.

What made Marcus feel at his lowest this school year was the punishment his grandmother had in store for him. Two days after the failed attempt at getting Pettigrew, she sent Neville the very worst thing a Hogwarts student could receive over breakfast - a Howler.

The school owls swooped into the Great Hall carrying the mail as usual, and Neville choked as a huge barn owl landed in from of him, a scarlet envelope clutched in its beak. Marcus, Harry, and Ron, who were sitting opposite him, recognized the letter as a Howler at once - Ron had got one from his mother the year before.

"Run for it, Neville," Ron advised.

Neville didn't need telling twice. He seized the envelope, and holding it before him like a bomb, sprinted out of the hall, while the Slytherin table exploded with laughter at the sight of him. They heard the Howler go off in the entrance hall - Neville's grandmother's voice, magically magnified to a hundred times its usual volume, shrieking about how he had brought shame on the whole family.

Marcus, who couldn't take it anymore, hurried off to the Gryffindor Tower to prepare for his visit to Sirius Black that night.

* * *

Not wanting to try and manuever around the new security measures, he left around six o'clock, invisible, as he made his way down the castle, through the front doors, and out into the Forbidden Forest.

He made his way to the clearing and saw Sirius lying down, in his Animagus form, sleeping.

Marcus, having shifted into Leo upon entering the forest, roared as loud as he could to scare his godfather.

It was effective, as the giant, black dog jumped in the air, rounding on him, preparing to attack. However, once he noticed that it was Leo, he started to whine.

Marcus shifted back into normal and said in a deadly voice, "Mind explaining why you had a knife on you, godfather?"

Sirius shifted back to normal and said, "It's quite simple, godson: I want Pettigrew dead, and I know you want him dead, too. I figured I'd make it easier by killing him in the dormitory."

"THAT WASN'T THE PLAN!" roared Marcus. "The plan was to capture Pettigrew and get him out here! Then, we could've killed him!"

"You're not telling me you're actually mad at me, are you?" asked Sirius.

"Yes, I am," said Marcus. "I'm not mad that you deviated from the plan. I'm not even mad that you had a knife on you. I'm mad at the fact that this is the second time that you didn't tell me about something! How am I supposed to trust you if you keep doing this to me?!"

Sirius's serious face turned to sadness as he said, "I'm sorry, Marcus. You have no idea how bad I want to get Pettigrew."

"Maybe not," said Marcus. "But, as long as I'm helping you, you need to tell me of these things! Is that fair?"

"Yeah, that's fair," said Sirius.

Marcus took some deep breaths to calm himself down and continued, "Well, at the very least, we did do one thing right: We drove Pettigrew out of the castle."

"Where is he now?" Sirius asked, perking up.

Marcus sighed before replying, "He's in Hagrid's hut."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" said Sirius. "Let's get him!"

"Are you out of your mind?!" said Marcus. "If we stage another attempt this soon, we won't be able to do anything, much less get our hands on Pettigrew. Besides, I'm not too fond of finding out how bad Hagrid can get when he's pissed off."

"So, now what?" asked Sirius, clearing fuming.

"At this point, we'll have to wait until the right moment to get Pettigrew," said Marcus. "And that won't happen for a while."

"I see," said Sirius.

"I'll be sure to let you know when that time comes," said Marcus. "I'll also try to come out here and keep you company, though that might be tough, considering they reinforced the castle's security."

"If you aren't able to come out and visit me often, I'll understand," said Sirius. "Focus on what you need to do, Marcus."

"I'll be sure to do that, Sirius," said Marcus. "I have to get going now. I'll see you around."

With that, Marcus head back up to the castle, making sure to render himself invisible.

* * *

Saturday morning came, and he was perfectly content with staying inside the castle with Lorelei. He knew that Harry was not, as he overheard him and Ron going over another attempt for Harry to go to Hogsmeade, no doubt via the one-eyed witch. As he got all that he wanted from Hogsmeade the last time, he had no desire to go someplace when he didn't have permission to.

And as the third year students and above left for Hogsmeade, Marcus and Lorelei went about the castle, exploring and looking, doing nothing in particular.

Eventually, the two of them went into the entrance hall where Marcus saw a foreboding sight: Draco Malfoy, with a mud-smeared head, running straight for the dungeons.

"What the -?" Lorelei said.

"Go back to Gryffindor Tower, Lorelei," said Marcus. "I'll see what's going on."

As she went back up the marble steps, Marcus cast the Disillusionment Charm on him and waited near the entrance to the dungeons.

Sure enough, he saw Snape walking by him at a fast pace towards the marble stairs.

 _"Oh, this isn't good,"_ thought Marcus. _"I'd better go to Snape's office and see how this unfolds."_

So, he hurried towards Snape's office, entering it, and put himself behind the area that would be covered if the door were to come open.

Five minutes later, Snape came into the office, followed by Harry.

Marcus knew he found himself in a unique situation, as he technically had no business being in Snape's office, but since the matter concerned Harry, he had to see what it was all about.

"Sit," said Snape.

As Harry took his seat, Snape looked at Harry, still standing, and said, "Mr. Malfoy has just been to see me with a strange story, Potter."

Harry didn't say anything as Snape continued, "He tells me that he was up by the Shrieking Shack when he ran into Weasley - apparently alone."

Harry continued to remain silent as Snape spoke.

"Mr. Malfoy states that he was standing talking to Weasley, when a large amount of mud hit him in the back of the head. How do you think that could have happened?"

Marcus silently groaned. If Harry had done such a thing, he was definitely caught in a pickle.

Marcus saw Harry faking a look of mild surprise before saying, "I don't know, Professor."

Snape looked straight into Harry's eyes, much akin to looking at a hippogriff. Something about the way Snape was looking at Harry made Marcus uneasy, like he was somehow searching through Harry's memory banks.

"Mr. Malfoy then saw an extraordinary apparition. Can you imagine what it might have been, Potter?"

"No," said Harry, who tried to sound innocently curious.

"It was your head, Potter. Floating in midair."

There was a long silence. Marcus knew the situation had gone from bad to worse. No doubt, in Marcus's mind, that the Invisibility Cloak had somehow slipped off Harry enough to reveal his head. He also knew that Snape had Harry right where he wanted him.

"Maybe he'd better go to Madam Pomfrey," said Harry. "If he's seeing things like -"

"What would your head have been doing in Hogsmeade, Potter?" said Snape softly. "Your head is not allowed in Hogsmeade. No part of your body has permission to be in Hogsmeade."

"I know that," said Harry, who was doing his best to keep himself free of guilt. "It sounds like Malfoy's having hallucin -"

"Malfoy is not having hallucinations," snarled Snape. He bent down, a hand on each arm of Harry's chair, so that their faces were a foot apart. "If your head was in Hogsmeade, so was the rest of you."

"I've been up in Gryffindor Tower," said Harry. "Like you told -"

"Can anyone confirm that?"

Harry didn't say anything. Marcus' uneasiness deepend when he saw Snape's thin mouth curled into a horrible smile.

"So," he said, straightening up again. "Everyone from the Minister of Magic downward has been trying to keep famous Harry Potter safe from Sirius Black. But famous Harry Potter is a law unto himself. Let the ordinary people worry about his safety! Famous Harry Potter goes where he wants to, with no thought for the consequences."

Marcus saw that Harry was remaining silent, which was a wise decision. Snape, no doubt, was trying to provoke Harry into telling him what really happened. At this particular time, Snape had no proof.

"How extraordinary like your father you are, Potter," Snape said suddenly, his eyes glinting. "He too was exceedingly arrogant. A small amount of talent on the Quidditch field made him think he was a cut above the rest of us too. Strutting around the place with his friends and admirers...the resemblance between you is uncanny."

"My dad didn't _strut_ ," said Harry suddenly. "And neither do I."

 _"Come on, Harry, don't get sucked into his game,"_ thought Marcus.

"Your father didn't set much store by rules either," Snape went on, making full use of his newly gained advantage, his face full of malice. "Rules were for lesser mortals, not Quidditch Cup-winners. His head was so swollen -"

"SHUT UP!"

Harry was suddenly standing on his feet. Marcus silently groaned. Whatever Harry had going in his favor was now long gone, as Harry let his emotions get the better of him.

He also noticed that Snape's face has gone rigid, his black eyes flashing dangerously as the Potions teachers said, _"What did you say to me, Potter?"_

"I told you to shut up about my dad!" Harry yelled. "I know the truth, all right? He saved your life! Dumbledore told me! You wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for my dad!"

As Snape's skin turned the color of sour milk, Marcus found himself rather startled. Harry's dad saved Snape?!

"And did the headmaster tell you the circumstances in which your father saved my life?" Snape whispered. "Or did he consider the details too unpleasant for precious Potter's delicate ears?"

Harry bit his lip. It was clear to Marcus that Harry didn't know the entirety of the story. Snape seemed to have known this, as well, as he continued.

"I would hate for you to run away with a false idea of your father, Potter," he said, a terrible grin twisting his face. "Have you been imagining some act of glorious heroism? Then let me correct you - your saintly father and his friends played a highly amusing joke on me that would have resulted in my death if your father hadn't got cold feet at the last moment. There was nothing brave about what he did. He was saving his own skin as much as mine. Had their joke succeeded, he would have been expelled from Hogwarts."

Marcus felt uncomfortable, hearing this from Snape. He knew that his father was friends with Harry's dad, meaning that, if what Snape said was true, his own dad was just as guilty for being part of the joke.

As Snape's uneven, yellowish teeth were bared, he suddenly spat, "Turn out your pockets, Potter!"

Marcus suddenly felt his heart drop. No doubt that Harry would have the Marauder's Map on him, which wasn't a good thing if Snape should discover that fact for himself.

"Turn out your pockets, or we go straight to the headmaster! Pull them out, Potter!"

His heart skipping a beat, Marcus watched Harry slowly pulling out a bag and the Marauder's Map.

As Snape picked up the bag, Harry quickly said, "Ron gave them to me." Harry was grasping at straws, that much was obivous. "He - brought them back from Hogsmeade last time -"

"Indeed? And you've been carrying them around ever since? How very touching...and what is this?"

The moment of truth had arrived as Snape picked up the map. Marcus could see how much concentration Harry was putting behind trying to keep an impassive face.

"Spare bit of parchment," Harry said with a shrug.

As Snape turned it over, his eyes on Harry, he stated, "Surely you don't need such a very _old_ piece of parchment? Why don't I just - throw this away?"

His hand moved toward the fire and Marcus suddenly heard Harry say, "No!"

"So!" said Snape, his long nostrils quivering. "Is this another treasured gift from Mr. Weasley? Or is it - something else? A letter, perhaps, written in invisible ink? Or - instructions to get into Hogsmeade without passing the dementors?"

Marcus found himself desperately trying to control his erratic breathing. He didn't know how or why, but somehow he knew that Snape's knowledge of the parchment was more than he let on.

Snape's eyes gleamed as he smoothed out the map parchment over the desk and said, "Let me see, let me see...Reveal your secret!"

He touched his wand to the parchment, but nothing happened.

"Show yourself!" Snape said, tapping the map sharply.

It stayed blank. Marcus was shaking all over from both nervousness and horror.

"Professor Severus Snape, master of this school, commands you to yield the information you conceal!" Snape said, hitting the map with his wand.

As though an invisible hand were writing upon it, words appeared on the smooth surface of the map.

 _ **"Mr. Moony presents his compliments to Professor Snape, and begs him to keep his abnormally large nose out of other people's business."**_

Snape froze. All of Marcus' shaking stopped immediately, as he found himself stupefied. However, the map didn't stop there. More writing was appearing beneath the first.

 _ **"Mr. Prongs agrees with Mr. Moony, and would like to add that Professor Snape is an ugly git."**_

If not for the fact that he needed to maintain his cover, Marcus would've found himself laughing to tears. Nonetheless, he had to put his hands over his mouth to silence the creeping urge to bust out laughing. The map continued to go on.

 _ **"Mr. Padfoot would like to register his astonishment that an idiot like that ever became a professor."**_

Marcus put every bit of his willpower behind stifling his urge to laughter. However, all urges to laugh quickly went away at what the map wrote out next.

 _ **"Mr. Maney would like to point out that he was sorely mistaken in believing that the pillock known as Snape would ever learn from his mistakes."**_

Marcus noticed that the writing of Mr. Maney looked awfully familiar, though he didn't know why. His confusion was still present as the map presented its' last statement.

 _ **Mr. Wormtail bids Professor Snape good day, and advises him to was his hair, the slimeball."**_

Marcus was now very still, waiting for what was going to happen next.

"So..." said Snape softly. "We'll see about this..."

Marcus watched as Snape strode across to his fire, seized a fistful of glittering powder from a jar on the fireplace, and threw it into the flames.

"Lupin!" Snape called into the fire. "I want a word!"

Marcus saw the large shape appearing in the fire, revolving very fast. Seconds later, Professor Lupin was clambering out of the fireplace, brushing ash off his shabby robes.

"You called, Severus?" said his uncle in a mild manner.

"I certainly did," said Snape, his face contorted with fury as he strode back to his desk. "I have just asked Potter to empty his pockets. He was carrying this."

Snape pointed at the parchment, on which the words of Messrs. Moony, Maney, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs were still shining. An odd, closed expression appeared on Lupin's face.

"Well?" said Snape.

Marcus's uncle continued to stare at the map. Marcus knew that his uncle was thinking very quickly, no doubt to cover the truth.

 _"Well?"_ said Snape again. "This parchment is plainly full of Dark Magic. This is supposed to be your area of expertise, Lupin. Where do you imagine Potter got such a thing?"

Marcus saw his uncle looking up, giving a half-glance in Harry's direction, no doubt warning him not to interrupt.

"Full of Dark Magic?" he repeated mildly. "Do you really think so, Severus? It looks to me as though it is merely a piece of parchment that insults anybody who reads it. Childish, but surely not dangerous? I imagine Harry got it form a joke shop -"

"Indeed?" said Snape. His jaw had gone rigid with anger. "You think a joke shop could supply him with such a thing? You don't think that he got it _directly from the manufactureres?"_

Marcus confirmed, from Snape's statement, that there was something he knew, no doubt in relation to his days at Hogwarts as a student.

"You mean, by Mr. Wormtail or one of these people?" he said. "Harry, do you know any of these men?"

"No," said Harry quickly.

"You see, Severus?" said Lupin, turning back to Snape. "It looks like a Zonko product to me -"

Right on cue and, much to Marcus' startlement, Ron came bursting into the office. He was completely out of breath, and stopped just short of Snape's desk, clutching the stitch in his chest and trying to speak.

"I - gave - Harry - that - stuff," he choked. "Bought - it...in Zonko's...ages - ago.."

"Well!" said Lupin, clapping his hands together and looking around cheerfully. "That seems to clear that up! Severus, I'll take this back, shall I?" He folded the map and tucked it inside his robes. "Harry, Ron, come with me, I need a word about my vampire essay - excuse us, Severus -"

Marcus quickly made his way out of Snape's office before anyone else, making his way back to the entrance hall.

He was about to make his way up the marble staircase when he heard his uncle say, "Don't go anywhere, Marcus. Stick around. I need you to listen to what I'm about to tell your friends."

Marcus cursed himself before rendering himself visible.

Once he could be seen, Harry started to say, "Professor, I -"

"I don't want to hear explanations," said his uncle shortly. He glanced around the empty hall and lowered his voice. "I happen to know that this map was confiscated by Mr. Filch many years ago. Yes, I know it's a map," he said as all three boys wore looks of amazement. "I don't want to know how it fell into your possession. I am, however, _astounded_ that you didn't hand it in. Particularly after what happened the last time a student left information about the castle lying around. And I can't let you have it back, Harry."

Marcus had surmised just as much that they wouldn't be able to get the map back.

"Why did Snape think I'd got it from the manufacturers?" Harry asked quickly.

"Because..." Lupin hesitated, "because these mapmakers would have wanted to lure you out of school. They'd think it extremely entertaining."

"You make it sound like you actually know them, uncle," Marcus stated, curious as to how his uncle would reply.

"We've met," he said shortly. He looked at Harry and Marcus more seriously than ever.

"Don't expect me to cover up for you again, Harry. I cannot make you take Sirius Black seriously. But I would have thought that what you have heard when the dementors draw near you would have had more of an effect on you. Your parents gave their lives to keep you alive, Harry. A poor way to repay them - gambling their sacrifice for a bag of magic tricks."

He walked away from the three boys, Marcus looking over to Harry and seeing the glum look on his face. It was rather obvious that his uncle's words had a profound effect on him. Slowly, the three of them made their way up the marble staircase. Marcus saw Harry glancing over to the one-eyed witch statue as they passed.

"It's my fault," said Ron abruptly. "I persuaded you to go. Lupin's right, it was stupid, we shouldn't've done it -"

Ron broke off; they reached the corridor where the security trolls were pacing, and Hermione was walking toward them. One look at her face convinced Marcus that she was about to tell them something depressing.

"Come to have a good gloat?" said Ron savagely as she stopped in front of them. "Or have you just been to tell on us?"

"No, said Hermione. She was holding a letter in her hands and her lip was trembling. "I just thought you ought to know...Hagrid lost his case. Buckbeak is going to be executed."

 **And this concludes yet another chapter of HP: Freedom's Path! Please feel free to leave a review, as it'll help me become a better writer. If you have any questions in regards to this series, please don't hesitate to leave me a PM and, I promise, I will answer them to the best of my ability without ruining the story. Until then, keep your eyes peeled for the next chapter of HP: Freedom's Path!**


	14. (14) Quidditch World Cup Semi-Final!

**Welcome, everyone, to the next chapter of HP: Freedom's Path! So, the reason why it took a while to update this story is because I had to go back and actually complete this chapter, as I initially skipped over it. However, since I have completed it, this is no longer an issue! So, with that...**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of HP save for the OC's.**

 **Now, here's...**

Chapter 14: Quidditch World Cup Semifinal Match! U.S. All-Stars vs Irish International!

 **Enjoy, one and all!**

"He - he sent me this," Hermione said, holding out the letter.

Harry took it. Marcus looked over his left shoulder and saw that the parchment was damp. Enormous teardrops had smudged the ink so badly in places that it was very difficult to read.

 **Dear Hermione,**

 **We lost. I'm allowed to bring him back to Hogwarts.  
Execution date to be fixed.  
Beaky has enjoyed London.  
I won't forget all the help you gave us.**

 **Hagrid**

"They can't do this," said Harry. "They can't. Buckbeak isn't dangerous."

Marcus found himself unable to speak. Despite everything that had going on lately, he really wished that he would've been able to help Hagrid. The fact that he hadn't hit him really hard.

"Malfoy's dad's frightened the Committee into it," said Hermione, wiping her eyes. "You know what he's like. They're a bunch of doddery old fools, and they were scared. There'll be an appeal, though, there always is. Only I can't see any hope...Nothing will have changed."

"Yeah, it will," said Ron fiercely. "You won't have to do all the work alone this time, Hermione. I'll help."

"Oh, Ron!"

Marcus watched in utter surprise as Hermione flung her arms around Ron's neck and broke down completely. Ron, looking quite terrified, patted her very awkwardly on the top of the head. Finally, Hermione drew away.

"Ron, I'm really, really sorry about Scabbers...," she sobbed.

"Oh - well - he was old," said Ron, looking thoroughly relieved that she had let go of him. "And he was a bit useless. You never know, Mum and Dad might get me an owl now."

Marcus felt absolutely relieved. At least Hagrid's somber letter did one good thing: It finally allowed two of his best friends to bury the hatchet.

"Well, I'm finally glad we got past this whole mess," said Marcus, allowing himself to smirk. "And, if I'm not mistaken, Harry, Ron, we have a World Cup semifinal game to attend this Saturday."

"I've been looking forward to this," said Harry with a smile.

"And since Dad's going to be meeting us in the entrance hall in two days, I suggest we get everything ready now," said Marcus. "So, let's get back to the dormitory and get ready."

As the four of them went into the Gryffindor Common Room, Marcus' smirk slowly faded. He knew that their friendship was patched up for now, but he also that it was only going to be a matter of time before Harry, Ron, and Hermione were going to find out about everything regarding Sirius Black and his involvement with him. He shuddered just thinking about the possible outcomes of that discovery and tried to push it as far away from his mind as possible.

* * *

Before he knew it, Saturday evening had come, and the three boys were packed for the short trip to watch the semifinal match between the U.S. All-Stars and Irish International.

"I still can't believe we're actually going to watch a World Cup Quidditch match!" Ron exclaimed, barely containing his excitement.

"And not just any Quidditch match, Ron," Marcus added. "The match between the U.S. and Ireland. Oh, this will be one to remember!"

"Who do you think is going to win?" Harry asked, sounding curious.

They made their way down the staircases as Marcus said, "That's actually a tough call. Both sides have some of the best Chasers in the world."

"And both teams rely heavily on them to win their matches," said Ron, queing in. "I mean, think about it. Their Seekers aren't exactly match winners."

"I'm sure both sides are re-thinking their strategies as we speak," said Marcus. "No doubt to try and counter the other's trio of Chasers."

"What about the Beaters?" asked Harry.

"Well, U.S. has a slight edge in that regard, but it won't be enough to turn the tide," Marcus responded.

"Which means it'll have to come down to the Seekers," Ron stated.

"Doesn't it usually?" asked Harry.

"Most of the time, yes," said Marcus. "But, like Ron said, both of the team's Seekers aren't that impacting on a match."

They were making their way down the marble staircase into the entrance hall when Marcus saw his father, standing in the middle of hall.

"Finally, you boys show up," he said with a smile.

"Sorry about that, Mr. Williams," said Ron. "We got caught up talking about the match outcome."

"Well, I'm hardly surprised," said Michael. "This match will be quite memorable. All right, boys, no time to waste. Let's get going."

They didn't take two steps towards the entrance doors when Marcus heard an unfortunately familiar voice say, "And where do you think you're going?"

The four of them turned to see Snape, arms crossed and an unpleasant look on his face.

"Why, Severus, I didn't see you there," Michael said.

"Then, perhaps you didn't hear me, Michael," said Snape. "Where are you taking them?"

"To the U.S. for the weekend," stated Michael. "Not that it's really any of your concern."

"It is my concern, Michael, when three Hogwarts students are being taken off the premise without permission," stated Snape with a cross attitude.

"Dumbledore has already given permission for me to take Harry, Ron, and Marcus," stated Michael. "But, perhaps if you spent less time staring down a cauldron and more time around people, you might've been able to find that out for yourself."

Marcus saw Harry and Ron stare at his father in amazement while Snape's face seemed to have blanched.

"You really haven't changed, Michael," said Snape, sounding as sour as he looked. "Being an authority figure seems to make you believe you have any significance in the world, keeping everyone in the dark of the deceitful person you really are."

Marcus knew that Snape had hit a nerve with his father, as Michael was using every bit of his willpower to maintain a civil look.

"Always jumping to conclusions, I see," said Michael. "At least I haven't consorted with scum like you have. Have a good day, Severus."

As the four of them started to make their way to the entrance doors once again, Marcus chanced a look back to see Snape rooted to the spot, fuming with rage.

Once they were outside, Harry said, "Do you know Snape from somewhere?"

"He went to Hogwarts the same time your father and I did," stated Michael. "Let's just say they didn't get along."

Rather eager to change the subject, Marcus said, "Dad, how exactly will we be getting to the match?"

"We'll be apparating there," said Michael, who suddenly found himself looking rather worried. "Of course, I wanted to use a Portkey as our primary means of transportation, but with Sirius Black still being at large, the use of Portkeys are strictly prohibited."

"Have you made any headway with Sirius Black?" asked Ron.

Marcus found himself feeling a bit cold as Michael sighed and said, "Well, we know that he's somewhere in Scotland, but everytime we've gotten close, it seems to be nothing but a dead end. I do hope we catch him soon."

Marcus kept his mouth shut as his father said, "Ah, here we are, finally."

Marcus found him looking at an old-fashioned steel gate, which looked rather shabby.

"What's this, Mr. Williams," asked Harry.

"This, Harry, is the boundary of Hogwarts and the entryway into the Muggle world," stated Michael. "Once we cross this gate, we'll be outside Hogwart's set of enchantments and be able to apparate."

"After everything that's happened this year, I can't wait for this," said Marcus. "Let's get going!"

So, Michael opened the gate and the four of them stepped across.

They took twenty steps away from the shabby, steel gate when Michael said, "All right, right here should be enough. Boys, my sleeves."

While Marcus grabbed his father's left sleeve, Harry and Ron grabbed his right sleeve.

"Now, I want you three to take deep breaths, slowly in, slowly out," stated Michael. "You're going to feel a bit of discomfort for a few seconds, but it will be over quickly."

Before Marcus knew it, he felt the familiar feeling of being squeezed inside the smallest tube possible. Twisting and turning, it felt really painful. However, just as soon as it started, it stopped. Marcus, who had his eyes closed, opened them and couldn't help but smirk.

The four of them were about a mile outside of Merlin's Village. Marcus could see the tail of the Dragon's Maw barely sticking above the top of the trees.

"All right, we have a little bit of a walk to make before we get into Merlin's Village, so let's get to it."

It must've been due to the excitement of tomorrow's match, as Marcus felt like the walk to Merlin's Village was taking a lot longer than he remembered. Eventually, they arrived at the entrance courtyard of Merlin's Village and Michael said, "Harry, Ron, welcome to Merlin's Village."

"Whoa," the two of them gasped.

Marcus was rather pleased to see that nothing about the village had changed. Little boys and girls were running around the courtyard, absorbed in their own little world. Men and women were bustling up and down the cobble streets, going in and out of the straw-roofed buildings and, at the other side of the village was the iconic dragon-shaped inn, "The Dragon's Maw."

"This is so wicked!" exclaimed Ron.

"Greatest homage to Merlin himself," stated Marcus with a bit of pride in his voice. "Some of the finest merchandise can be found here, and it's only five miles away from the U.S. All-Stars Quidditch Field."

Before he knew it, Marcus found himself being the guide for Harry and Ron, taking them to all sorts of stores, from Jester's Joke Paradise to the Royal Robe Shop. He couldn't possibly forget to take them to Dulcid's Daring Confectionary, which made Honeydukes feel like a third-rate store.

"Wow, this is all so amazing!" said Harry, who was stuffing his face with a star-spangled Chocolate Frog.

"Blimey, I don't think I can go back to Honeydukes, knowing there's a store like that," Ron said to the two of them.

"Well, I do believe it's time to settle into our rooms at 'The Dragon's Maw," said Marcus with a smirk. "Come on."

Once they got settled into their room, they talked of nothing except the upcoming match.

"So, if the U.S. Chasers pull off enough feints and tricks, they should fool the Irish Chasers," Ron stated a half hour after they settled into their room.

"That's not exactly going to work, Ron," Marcus said. "No doubt Irish International will see most of their tricks coming. They'll have to mix it up with straight play and trickery."

"Sounds like this is a pretty intense discussion," came a familiar voice from the doorway.

Marcus looked to the doorway and couldn't believe it. It was Percival Braxton!

"Braxton, what are you doing here?!" asked Marcus.

"I felt like stretching my legs a bit," stated Braxton. "I heard you guys were here, so naturally, I had to see you guys. So, were you guys discussing tomorrow's match?"

"Of course!" said Ron.

"Well, I'm all ears," said Braxton with a smile.

"You're actually interested in what we have to say?" asked Harry.

"Of course," said Braxton with a smile. "It's always good to get second opinions."

So, the three boys and Percival Braxton spent a good hour talking about Qudditch strategies until Michael came walking in.

"Braxton," said Michael, sounding exsaperated. "Did you leave Penelope in the lobby to wait on you again?"

Braxton's face blanched before saying, "Crap, I did! Oh, she's going to really give me a hard time now!"

He turned to the boys and said, "I hope you enjoy tomorrow's match, boys! It should be one to remember!"

Once he left the room, Michael turned to Marcus, Harry, and Ron and said, "All right, we have an action-packed day tomorrow, so let's all get to sleep."

"Yes, sir," said the three boys. The lights went out and Harry and Ron went straight to sleep.

Marcus, however, wasn't able to go right to sleep. He had a lot on his mind, between wondering if Sirius was doing all right and how much longer he was able to keep him a secret from everyone to thinking about his own upcoming Quidditch match Final and his schoolwork. However, he shrugged them off eventually, knowing he'll find a way to work it all out when the time came and went to sleep afterwards.

* * *

Finally, the morning came, and it was absolutely crazy. From trying to get adequete shower time to getting on his U.S. All-Stars attire, by the time all four guys managed to get to the U.S. All-Stars Quidditch Field, it was a half-hour until it started.

"Wow, can't believe it's finally here!" Marcus exclaimed. "The Quidditch World Cup Semifinal, U.S. All-Stars vs Irish International!"

"I wonder who's going to score first," said Harry.

"I wonder the same thing, don't you, young Mr. Williams?" said a voice Marcus recognized.

Marcus looked to the entrance of the stadium to find Mr. Booker standing behind an elaborate stand, no doubt to make good on the opportunity to get a profit.

"Well, well, Mr. Booker," said Marcus. "I can't say I'm surprised to see you here."

"Why wouldn't I?" said Mr. Booker with a smile. "It's great for business. Speaking of which, care to place your bet?"

"I'd thought you'd never ask," replied Marcus. He got out one hundred Galleons from his pouch, placed it on the counter in front of him, and stated, "U.S. All-Stars win the match 200-50. They'll score the first point."

"Ah, very interesting," said Mr. Booker. "Those odds are eight to one, Mr. Williams. You might just lose this bet for once."

"I'm pretty confident," said Marcus before returning to Harry, Ron, and his dad.

"So, where are we going?" asked Harry.

"Our tickets have us sitting in the VIP box," stated Michael. "That's up there."

Marcus looked to where his dad was pointing and smirked. He'd seen the VIP box plenty of times, but he'd never been in there once. It was situated so that most, if not all, of the Quidditch gameplay could be seen with perfect clarity. Not only that, but fans that were in the VIP box received catering service.

The moment they got inside the box, they were greeted by the Stadium staff, who said, "Welcome to the VIP box!"

"Young Mr. Williams, Young Mr. Potter, and Young Mr. Weasley, your seats are closest to the window," said an older gentlemen. "Mr. Williams, your seat is behind Young Mr. Williams."

"Thank you," said Michael as Marcus, Harry, and Ron took the seats closest to the window.

Marcus had a good look around the stadium. Numerous U.S. All-Star fans were quickly filling in the large stadium, the rows reaching quite high, even higher than the VIP box. He couldn't wait for the game to start.

Suddenly, he heards a very familiar voice shout, "Is that you, Marcus?!"

Marcus looked to the source of the voice to find -

"Edwards!" said Marcus. "What are you doing here?!"

"Watching the match, of course," Edwards replied with a grin on his face. "The rest of the team wished they could be here, but since I'm the only one caught up with my school work, I'm here instead of them."

"Well, hurry up and take a seat," said Marcus, gesturing to the seat next to his.

As soon as he did so, Marcus heard the crowd get real quiet.

"What's going on?" Harry and Ron asked.

"Shh, it's starting," said Marcus and Edwards.

Suddenly, a loud voice (which was louder to them considering it was coming from inside the VIP Box) boomed to the fans, "Welcome, one and all, to the Quidditch World Cup Semifinal Match between our esteemed U.S. All-Stars and the illustrious Irish International Team! I am Ben Whipsnap, and I will be you commentator for this match!"

The crowd roared in applause. Marcus knew that Mr. Whipsnap was the U.S.'s top Quidditch commentator and it wasn't easy to book him for matches. The way he went about commentating Quidditch matches made it so easy to get sucked into the matches, even if a person wasn't a fan of Quidditch.

"And, now, without further ado, the Irish International Quidditch Team! Presenting - Connolly! Ryan! Troy! Mullet! Moran! Quigley! Aaaaaand - _Lynch_!"

Marcus saw seven green-clad players flying from directly underneath them, zooming around the stadium in a circle, firing up the smattering of Irish supporters that were present in the stadium.

Once they gathered on one side of the field, the area in and around the stadium went dark. Both Edwards and Marcus were fidgeting in their seats, as they knew exactly what to expect, leaving Harry and Ron wondering exactly what was going to happen.

"And, now, the moment you've all been waiting for, ladies and gentleman: The U.S. All-Stars!" roared Mr. Whipsnap. "Presenting - Braxton! Jasper! Harley! Powers! Powers! Ignatius! Aaaaaand - _Force_!"

Marcus and Edwards watched from above as seven star-like figures came flying in from the sky, going around the stadium to roars and screams of applause and chanting, which made the stadium vibrate all around them.

The seven star-like figures, upon gathering opposite of the Irish International team, did a series of small boom-like explosions, revealing the U.S. All-Stars team. Marcus took a look at each and every player on the team and noticed that they were not on edge, they were not worried at all. They looked the same confident, surefire winning attitude that got them this far in the tournament.

"And, referring the match, making this the last match she'll referee, our very own American Department of Magical Games and Sports Head, Ms. Elizabeth Salem!" roared Mr. Whipsnap.

The American supporters applauded very loudly for Ms. Salem, as she had done wonders for the Department, who was one of the main people responsible for turning the U.S. All-Stars from what used to be the laughingstock of the Quidditch World to one of the most forefront contenders for the World Cup itself.

Dressed in elegant Quidditch robes of solid silver, she released the Bludgers and the Snitch before grabbing the Quaffle and getting in the air on her broomstick.

She then looked to both sides to see if both teams were ready. Marcus noticed that the faces of both team members looked intense, as if nothing else mattered but securing their win and moving on to the Quidditch World Cup Final.

The referee nodded before she blew her whistle and threw the Quaffle in the air.

"Aaand THEY'RE OFF!" roared Mr. Whipsnap to the stadium. "And it's Braxton - Harley - Jasper - back to Harley - ooh, intercepted by Moran! Moran - over to Connolly - never mind, Powers gives an amazing side hit with the Bludger to Connolly! Quaffle's taken by Braxton - Jasper - Harley - back to Braxton - Braxton weaving through the Irish Chasers -!"

Marcus, having enhanced his vision as the match started, was able to see all of the moves with amazing clarity. Upon Braxton roaring down the field for the second time, Marcus could briefly see the fierce determination on his upon getting close to the Irish Keeper before doing -

"Oh, here comes the CYCLONE PSYCH!" roared Mr. Whipsnap.

The moment Braxton started to spin, it really looked as if he was creating a mini-tornado around him, bamboozling the Irish Keeper into going for his right hoop. The moment he did this, Braxton rocketed the Quaffle into the wide open center hoop.

"AND BRAXTON SCORES THE FIRST GOAL OF THE MATCH!" bellowed Whipsnap. "10-0 FOR THE U.S. ALL-STARS!"

The U.S. supporters were yelling up a storm, the four boys included.

"And Troy takes the Quaffle from Ryan!" Whipsnap yelled. "Back to Troy! To Mullet! Moran - Troy - over to Mullet again! Weaving inbetween one another and - MY GOD, THAT WAS AN AMAZING SHOT!"

Marcus, having seen it out of his peripheral vision, saw Tyrone Powers blasting one of the Bludgers directly at Moran, who just got the Quaffle right as the Bludgers smashed right into his face.

"And Jasper takes the Quaffle!" yelled Whipsnap. "Japser - Harley - Jasper - back to Harley - Japser again - oh my, where's the Quaffle going?!"

Marcus, Harry, Ron, and Edwards all looked up as they saw Jasper rocketing the Quaffle towards the sky until -

"No way!" yelled Marcus, who was able to see it clearly.

"What is it?!" said Harry, Ron, and Edwards at the same time.

"It's the -"

"EAGLE DIVE BOMB!" roared Whipsnap.

Sure enough, Braxton caught the Quaffle as he was screaming towards the ground from at least four hundred feet up. He avoided the Irish Chasers and both Bludgers masterfully as he started to get level with the stadium's highest seats, making the Irish Keeper Ryan get really ansty on his broomstick.

Unfortunately for Ryan, he suckered into the Eagle Dive Bomb executed by Braxton, going much lower than he should have. Acting on this, Braxton suddenly swung on his Firebolt, using the momentum to rocket the Quaffle back up to Harley, who easily threw it into the wide open center hoop.

"AND HARLEY SCORES FOR THE ALL-STARS, GETTING AN ASSIST FROM BRAXTON USING THE MASTERFUL DIVERSIONARY TATIC, THE EAGLE DIVE BOMB!" Whipsnap boomed.

Marcus, Harry, Ron, and Edwards were madly jumping up and down. The U.S. All-Stars were already two goals up with only five minutes of gameplay!

The next two goals by the U.S. All-Stars were just as masterful as the first two. The Irish Chaser Mullet lost the Quaffle due to successsive Bludger hits from both sides, causing Jasper and Harley to execute their famous Quaffle Dance, which made Ryan dizzy watching them and nearly fell off his broom, giving them an easy score in the Keeper's left hoop. The fourth goal by the U.S. All-Stars was nothing short of amazing, as Braxton, Jasper, and Harley exectued the almost impossible Tri-Drill Tactic, consisting of one Chaser rotating forward while the other two spun around the central Chaser, all three of them passing inbetween the other. Unsure of how to counter it, Ryan froze in place at the center hoop, giving Braxton a whipping pass to Jasper, who easily threw it into the Keeper's right hoop.

"AND JASPER SCORES!" Whipsnap roared to the crowd. "U.S. ALL-STARS HAVE WIDENED THE GAP ON THIS MATCH, FOURTY TO NOTHING! And Aiden Lynch calls for a timeout for the Irish Team!"

As both teams went to huddle together on the ground, Ron looks to Marcus and Edwards and said, "This is unbelievable! I've never seen Quidditch played like this!"

"The U.S. All-Stars are really playing at their peak!" said Marcus. "I've never seen them pull off their last two moves ever!"

"That Quaffle Dance and Tri-Drill Tactic, gentlemen," said Edwards, who sounded swoon, "was nothing short of beautiful in my eyes."

"I can't believe it," said Harry, who sounded awestruck. "This match is unbelievable!"

"This will definitely go down as one of the top matches of the entire tournament, that's for sure," said Michael from behind the boys who, while he wasn't going crazy with celebration, was certainly enjoying himself.

Eventually, the five of them heard Whipsnap say, "And it looks like we're ready to get the match back underway! And Ryan will give the Quaffle to Troy!"

After the timeout, it was as if the wind was taken out of the sails of the U.S. All-Stars team. They made too many errors, almost all of which the Irish Team capitilized on, scoring four goals in a row.

"And with that last goal by Mullet, the score is now tied, 40-40!" yelled Whipsnap, who even sounded a bit disappointed in his voice.

"What's happened to the U.S. All-Stars?" asked Harry.

"Looks like they did all their best moves too early and have no leg to stand right now," stated Marcus. "Unfortunately, it's a mistake that, if they don't bounce back from, will cost them the match."

"I agree," said Michael. "I even advised Braxton from doing those moves too early. But, he sounded adamant, no doubt due to having made it this far for the first time in fifty years."

"And Braxton will call for a timeout, no doubt to try and pull things together!" yelled Whipsnap. "Let's hope that it works, ladies and gentlemen!"

Marcus looked upon the U.S. All-Stars team and saw at first they looked a bit dejected, even crestfallen. However, by the time Braxton was done talking, each member of the new had a renewed look of determination.

"Well, well, looks like we got our U.S. All-Stars team back," said Marcus, having seen all of the huddle unfold before his enhanced eyes.

"What do you mean?" asked Ron and Edwards at the same time.

"You'll see," said Marcus with a smirk on his face.

Once the game resumed, Harry, Ron, and Edwards knew exactly what Marcus meant. The U.S. All-Stars were no longer trying to be flashy, instead sticking to what got them this far in the tournament in the first place. It was like watching a dog fight, watching the Quaffle go between the Irish and U.S. Chasers.

"And back to Braxton - to Jasper - MY GOD, WAS THAT THE SNITCH?!" roared Whipsnap.

Marcus darted his field of vision to the right and, sure enough, saw Aiden Lynch and Penelope Force gunning for the Golden Snitch, which was flying away from them rapidly.

"Now, this is where it's going to get interesting!" Edwards said.

"Come on, Force, come on," said Harry, who looked much more into the match than before, if that was possible.

"Oh, and Mullet's taking the Quaffle down the pitch!" yelled Whipsnap. "He dodges both Bludgers - gets past the Keeper - YES, IRELAND SCORES! 50-40 Ireland!"

"Damn it!" said Marcus, who was starting to get worried. "Come on, Force, get the snitch!"

"And Lynch and Force are neck and neck!" yelled Whipsnap. "Who'll get it and secure their spot in the Quidditch World Final?! Well, Braxton's certainly screaming down the field, isn't he?!"

Marcus saw that Braxton was making his way down the pitch, letting nothing get in his way.

"And Braxton's in scoring position now, folks!" yelled Whipsnap. "He'd better watch out for the Seekers - they're on the warpath!"

Marcus realized that he was right: Braxton was going to run right into Force if he didn't change his path, leaving Lynch wide open for grabbing the Snitch.

Suddenly, Marcus saw Connolly bash the Bludger right at Braxton, and Marcus saw the Bludger rocketing towards Braxton, which would collide with him any second -

Out of nowhere, both Braxton and Force swung on their Firebolts, causing the Bludger that was intended for Braxton to collide with Lynch, which knocked him right off his broom. Braxton then passed the Quaffle to Jasper, who came out of nowhere to score in Ryan's right hoop.

In the same moment, Force swung back on her Firebolt, miraculously having kept track of the Snitch the entire time, and grabbed it in the middle of the air.

The shrill sound of the whistle echoed through the air, and the stadium roared in excitement.

"WHAT A MAGNIFICENT PLAY BY BRAXTON AND FORCE!" yelled Whipsnap. "FORCE CAPTURES THE SNITCH, GIVING U.S. ALL-STARS THE WIN, 200-50 OVER IRISH INTERNATIONAL! THEY'RE GOING TO THE QUIDDITCH WORLD CUP FINALS!"

All four boys were madly jumping up and down, excitement overtaking them. The U.S. All-Stars bomb-rushed their Captain and Seeker, lost in their own excitement as well.

When Marcus recovered himself, he looked at the Irish Quidditch Team to find that they looked crestfallen and couldn't help but sympathize with them. They did do their best, after all.

Eventually, Marcus, Harry, and Ron had to bid Edwards farewell, as they still had to get back to Hogwarts. Marcus wanted to talk to Braxton one more time, but considering him and the rest of the team was caught up in interviews, he supposed he would have to wait another time.

At long last, Marcus, Harry, and Ron made their way into the Gryffindor Common Room, where they were greeted by everyone else from the Gryffindor Quidditch Team, Oliver Wood especially. As they fervently recapped the U.S. All-Stars/Irish International match to the rest of the team, Marcus was especially looking forward to not just the upcoming Quidditch Final Match, but for what the rest of the year had in store for him too.

 **And this concludes this chapter of HP: Freedom's Path! Please feel free to leave me a review, letting me know what you think of the story! Or, if you had any questions for me, please feel free to leave me a PM and, I promise, I will answer them to the best of my ability! Until then, keep your eyes peeled for the next chapter of HP: Freedom's Path!**


	15. (15) The Final Match

**Welcome, everyone, to the next chapter of HP: Freedom's Path! Not really much to say right now except...**

 **Disclaimer: No ownership of HP save for OC's. Believe me, I've tried.**

 **Now, here's...**

Chapter 15: The Final Match

 **Enjoy, one and all!**

As great as it was to watch the U.S. All-Stars win their semifinal match against the Irish Internation Quidditch team, subsequently securing their spot at the Quidditch World Cup Final, it was back to reality as the three boys went back to attending classes with the rest of the Hogwarts students on Monday. The first thing they wanted to do was to talk to Hagrid about Buckbeak's case, but since the new safety measures on the students made it impossible to visit Hagrid in the evenings, the only chance they had of talking to him was during Care of Magical Creatures lessons.

Hagrid seemed numbed with shock, so impacting that the verdict was.

"S'all my fault. Got all tongue-tied. They was all sittin' there in black robes an' I kep' droppin' me notes and forgettin' all them dates yeh looked up for me, Hermione. An' then Lucius Malfoy stood up an' said his bit, and the Committee jus' did exac'ly what he told 'em..."

"There's still the appeal!" said Ron fiercly.

"That's right, Hagrid!" Marcus said. "Don't give up yet, we're going to work on that!"

As they walked back up to the castle with the rest of the class, they could see Malfoy, who was walking with Crabbe and Goyle, and kept looking back, laughing derisively.

"S'no good, boys," said Hagrid sadly as they reached the castle steps. "That Committee's in Lucius Malfoy's pocket. I'm jus' gonna make sure the rest o' Beaky's time is the happiest he's ever had. I owe him that..."

Hagrid turned around and hurried back toward his cabin, his face buried in his handkerchief.

"Look at him blubber!"

Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle were listening, standing just inside castle doors.

"Have you ever seen anything quite as pathetic?" said Malfoy. "And he's supposed to be our teacher!"

Marcus, having enough of Malfoy, was quick in attempting to grab Malfoy's throat. However -

SMACK!

Marcus was caught off guard as he saw Hermione beating him to the punch, effectively smacking Malfoy across with all the strength she could muster. As Malfoy staggered, Marcus didn't exactly know what to do next. He had never seen Hermione this flustered, after all.

"Don't you _dare_ call Hagrid pathetic, you foul - you evil -"

"Hermione!" said Ron weakly, and he tried to grab her hand as she swung it back.

"Get _off,_ Ron!"

Malfoy stepped backward at the sight of Hermione pulling out her wand, pointing it directly at him. Crabbe and Goyle looked at him for instrucitons, thoroughly bewildered.

"C'mon," Malfoy muttered, and in a moment, all three of them had disappeared into the passageway to the dungeon.

" _Hermione!"_ Ron said again, sounding both stunned and impressed.

"Harry, Marcus, you'd better beat him in the Quidditch final!" Hermione said shrilly. "You just better had, because I can't stand it if Slytherins wins!"

"Yeah, definitely," Marcus said, a little bit awed by Hermione's actions. "Say, Hermione, how good did it feel to slap Malfoy?"

Marcus then saw the look Hermione gave him, a rather stern, flustered look, and half grimaced as he said, "Right, I'll just ask later."

"We're due in Charms," said Ron, still goggling at Hermione. "We'd better go."

They hurried up the marble staircase toward Professor Flitwick's classroom.

"You're late, boys!" said Professor Flitwick reprovingly as Harry opened the classroom door. "Come along, quickly, wands out, we're experimenting with Cheering Charms today, we've already divided into pairs -"

As the three boys hurried to a desk at the back and opened their bags, Marcus looked behind him and noticed something off.

"Harry, Ron, where did Hermione go?"

As Harry looked around in confusion, Marcus noticed that Hermione didn't enter the classroom, yet she was most definitely behind him when Harry had opened the door.

 _"She must've used the Time-Turner at the wrong time,"_ thought Marcus, frowning at the thought.

"That's wierd," said Harry, staring at Ron. "Maybe - maybe she went to the bathroom or something?"

The whole lesson zoomed by in a flash, yet Hermione had still yet to make an appearance.

"She could've done with a Cheering Charm on her too," said Ron as the three of them left for lunch, Harry and Ron grinning broadly - the Cheering Charms had left them with a feeling of great contentment.

Not so with Marcus. There was no doubt in his mind that Hermione got distracted when she didn't show up for lunch. By the time Harry and Ron had finished their apple pie, the after-effects of the Cheering Charm finally started to wear off, and the two boys started to get slightly worried.

"You don't think Malfoy did something to her?" Ron asked anxiously as they hurried upstairs towards Gryffindor Tower.

They passed the security trolls, gave the Fat Lady the password, and scrambled through the portrait hole into the common room.

Marcus sighed with relief as he saw Hermione snoozing away at a table, her head resting on an open Arithmancy book. They went to sit down on either side of her. Harry prodded her awake.

"W-what?" said Hermione, who woke with a start, staring wildly around. "Is it time to go? W-which lesson have we got now?"

"Divinations, but it's not for another twenty minutes,"said Harry. "Hermione, why didn't you come to Charms?"

"What? Oh no!" Hermione squeaked. "I forgot to go to Charms?"

"Hermione, how could you have possibly forgotten?" asked Marcus. "You were with us till we were right outside the classroom!"

"I don't believe it!" Hermione wailed. "Was Professor Flitwick angry? Oh, it was Malfoy, I was thinking about him and I lost track of things!"

"You know what, Hermione?" said Ron, looking down at the enormous Arithmancy book Hermione had been using as a pillow. "I reckon you're cracking up. You're trying to do too much."

"No, I'm not!" said Hermione, brushing her hair out of her eyes and staring hopelessly around for her bag. "I just made a mistake, that's all! I'd better go and see Professor Flitwick and say sorry...I'll see you in Divination!"

As Marcus saw her taking off in a rather mad dash, he sighed. He knew that, while there were no physical side effects of using a Time-Turner, the mental and emotional wear and tear on a person could get to harmful levels. Based on what he was seeing, if things continued to go down this path, he would have to step in, whether he liked it or not.

Hermione joined them at the foot of the ladder to Professor Trelawney's classroom twenty minutes later, looking extremely harrassed.

"I can't believe I missed Cheering Charms! And I bet they come up in our exams; Professor Flitwick hinted they might!"

As they climbed the ladder into the dim, stifling tower room, Marcus said, "Look, Hermione, I'll give you my notes on the Cheering Charm. It goes over the intracacies of what's required to cast the spell. You'll pick up on it quick, I promise."

"Thank you so much, Marcus!" Hermione said, looking rather relieved.

Harry, Ron, Marcus, and Hermione sat down together at the same rickety table and Marcus noticed that, situated on every table was a crystal ball full of pearly white mist.

"I thought we weren't starting crystal balls until next term," Ron muttered, casting a wary eye around for Professor Trelawney, in case she was lurking nearby.

"Don't complain, this means we've finished palmistry," Harry muttered back. "I was getting sick of her flinching every time she looked at my hands."

"Yeah, what a relief," said Marcus. "I thought she was going to get drool on mine. Disgusting!"

"Good day to you!" said the familiar, misty voice, and Professor Trelawney made her usual dramatic entrance out of the shadows. Parvati and Lavender quivered with excitement, their faces lit by the milky glow of their crystal ball. Marcus didn't bother holding back as he just rolled his eyes.

"I have decided to introduce the crystal ball a little earlier than I had planned," said Professor Trelawney, sitting with her back to the fire and gazing around. "The fates have informed me that your examination in June will concern the Orb, and I am anxious to give you sufficient practice."

Hermione snorted.

"Well, honestly...'the fates have informed her'...who sets the exam? She does! What an amazing prediction!" she said, not troubling herself to keep her voice low. Harry and Ron choked back laughs while Marcus gave her a surprising, yet amused look. This would be the part where he would scold her, but seeing as his sentiments were the same as hers, he was in no such position to do said scolding.

Regardless, it was hard to tell whether Professor Trelawney had heard them, as her face was hidden in shadow. Luckily, she had continued as if she had not.

"Crystal gazing is a particularly refined art," she said dreamily. "I do not expect any of you to See when first you peer into the Orb's infinite depths. We shall start by practicing relaxing the conscious mind and external eyes" - Ron began to snigger uncontrollably and had to stuff his fist in his mouth to stifle the noise - "so as to clear the Inner Eye and the superconscious. Perhaps, if we are lucky, some of you will See before the end of the class.

And so they began. Marcus, knowing the drill by this point, enhanced his vision, looked into the crystal ball and had to cover his mouth to stifle his gasp.

He was seeing a staggering amount of moving images within the crystal ball, some more prominent than others. He spotted a make-shift stadium tent, the all too familar statue in the British Ministry of Magic's Atrium, even the Hogwarts Quiddtich Stadium and his house.

But, the moving images were scattered. He could only look at the moving images for a period of a second or two before it would lose focus. Getting rather irritated by this predicament, without knowing why, Marcus stuck his hands out, palms facing the Orb.

Suddenly, the moving images froze in place. He slightly moved his left fingers, and the moving images suddenly put themselves right next to each other.

Figuring he had nothing to lose at this point, he took deep breaths, bringing himself to a state of calmness and, not only could he see the moving images with clarity, he could even hear some dialogue.

First, he was seeing the edge of a lake. It was dark out, extremely cold, and the feeling of death was upon him.

 _"Quick, they're here!"_ a familiar voice shouted.

A little too quickly, the moving image shifted to the countryside with lots of tents. Marcus recognized the U.S. colors, familiar faces all around him.

 _"Wow, this is just amazing!"_ said another familiar voice. _"All of us are together again!"_

Again, the moving images shifted and stopped on the Hogwarts Express, getting ready to leave Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.

 _"You'll find out this evening, I expect,"_ said yet another familiar voice. _"It's going to be very exciting - mind you, I'm very glad they've changed the rules -"_

Once again, the moving images shifted, and Marcus saw a roughly hewn wooden goblet, propped on a table and emitting fire straight into the air. Said goblet also had an ominous black aura, making Marcus shiver all over.

 _"-I would ask them please to come up to the top of the Hall, walk along the staff table, and go through the next chamber" -_ Marcus could see the hand of whoever was talking gesturing to the door situated behind the staff table in the Great Hall - _"where they will be receiving their first instructions."_

Once more, the moving images shifted. If what he was seeing before scared him, what he was currently seeing topped them all.

He found himself looking at a dragon, a white, shining scaled dragon standing on its hind legs, being around eight foot tall. It looked like someone took crushed diamonds and sprinkled it all over the wyvern. He also saw a pure white set of horns that went upward and protruded from the top of the dragon's head, rather sharp-looking teeth, and white claws that looked too dangerous to get close to. But what set Marcus on edge were its eyes. Eyes of pure gold that seemed to pierce him, down to his very soul. They were merciless, they were deadly, and it made him want to cower.

However, the dragon opened its mouth, and a roar like he had never heard escaped from it. The roar was loud and high pitched, like a banshee, except it made him want to run away from it, be as far away from this creatures as he could. It felt as if the roar was reverberating through, around, and inside of him, making him shake all over with fear.

Too terrified to continue, he removed his hands, returned his vision to normal, and sat away from the Orb.

Nothing he saw in the Orb made any sense to him. Just what exactly did he see? Something that happened in the past, or something that had not yet happened? He decided that, regardless of what he'd seen, they were of little to no importance to him and to forget about it.

"Marcus, have you seen anything yet?" Harry asked him.

"No, nothing," Marcus lied. "I thought, perhaps if I stuck my hands out, something would happen."

"Well, I'm seeing a burn on this table," said Ron, pointing. "Someone's spilled their candle."

"This is such a waste of time," Hermione hissed. "I could be practicing something useful. I could be catching up on Cheering Charms -"

Professor Trelawney rustled past.

"Would anyone like me to help them interpret the shadowy portents within their Orb?" she murmured over the clinking of her bangles.

"I don't need help," Ron whispered. "It's obvious what this means. There's going to be loads of fog tonight."

Marcus covered his mouth with both hands to prevent himself from laughing out loud. Harry and Hermione, however, did no such thing as their laughter rang loudly throughout the classroom.

"Now, really!" said Professor Trelawney as everyone's heads turned in their direction. Parvati and Lavender were looking scandalized. "You are disturbing the clairvoyant vibrations!" She approached their table and peered into their crystal ball. All feeling of wanting to laugh vanished. Marcus knew what was about to happen.

"There is something here!" Professor Trelawney whispered, lowering her face to the ball, so that it was reflected twice in her huge glasses. "Something moving...but what is it?"

 _"I'd bet all of the Galleons in my vault that she's 'seeing the Grim',"_ thought Marcus with disgust.

"My dear...," Professor Trelawney breathed, gazing up at Harry. "It is here, plainer than ever before...my dear, stalking toward you, growing ever closer... the Gr -"

"Oh, for _goodness'_ sake!" said Hermione loudly. "Not that ridiculous Grim _again_!"

Professor Trelawney raised her enormous eyes to Hermione's face. Parvati whispered something to Lavender, and they both glared at Hermione too. Professor Trelawney stood up, surveying Hermione with unmistakable anger.

"I am sorry to say that from the moment you have arrived in this class, my _dear_ , it has been apparent that you do not have what the noble art of Divination requires. Indeed, I don't remember ever meeting a student whose mind was so hopelessly mundane."

There was a moment's silence before -

"Fine!" said Hermione suddenly, getting up and cramming _Unfogging the Future_ back into her bag. "Fine!" she repeated, swinging the bag over her shoulder and almost knocking Ron off his chair. "I give up! I'm leaving!"

And, to Marcus' utter surprise, Hermione strode over to the trapdoor, kicked it open, and climbed down the ladder out of sight.

It took a few minutes for the class to settle down again. Professor Trelawney seemed to have forgotten all about the Grim. She turned abruptly from the boys' table, breathing rather heavily as she tugged her gauzy shawl more closely to her.

"Oooooo!" said Lavender suddenly, making everyone start. "Ooooooo, Professor Trelawney, I've just remembered! You saw her leaving, didn't you? Didn't you, Professor? _'Around Easter, one of our number will leave us forever!'_ You said it _ages_ ago, Professor!"

Professor Trelawney gave her a dewy smile.

"Yes, my dear, I did indeed know that Miss Granger would be leaving us. One hopes, however, that one might have mistaken the Signs...The Inner Eye can be a burden, you know..."

Lavender and Parvati looked deeply impressed, and moved over so that Professor Trelawney could join their table instead.

"Some day Hermione's having, eh?" Ron muttered to Harry and Marcus, looking awed.

"Yeah..." the two of them replied.

Marcus looked at the table, unable to say anything more. He kept thinking about what he saw in the Orb, those random scenes. Marcus had a bad feeling up his spine, a feeling only reserved for ominous events...

* * *

Compared to the excitement that the U.S.-Ireland match brought, the Easter holidays were nothing more than a central boredom fest. The thirds years had never faced such daunting amounts of homework, the likes of which even Marcus had a hard time keeping up with. Neville Longbottom seemed close to a nervous collapse, and he wasn't the only one.

"Call this a holiday!" Seamus Finnigan roared at the common room one afternoon. "The exams are ages away, what're they playing at?"

As much as Marcus had to do, it was nothing compared to Hermione. Even without Divination, she was taking more subjects than anyone else. She was usually last to leave the common room at night, first to arrive at the library the next morning; she started to develop shadows under her eyes like Uncle Remus and she seemed constantly close to tears.

Ron and Marcus had taken over responsibility for Buckbeak's appeal. When they weren't doing their own work, they were pouring over enormously thick volumes with names like _The Handbook of Hippogriff Psychology_ and _Fowl or Foul? A Study of Hippogriff Brutality._ Ron was so absorbed that he even forgot to be horrible to Crookshanks.

Marcus found himself juggling a lot of things, even more than he thought he could handle. His homework, self-training with Lorelei, and daily Quidditch practice. The Gryffindor-Slytherin match would take place on the first Saturday after the Easter holidays. At the moment, Slytherin was leading the tournament by exactly two hundred points. In order to win the Cup, as Wood constantly reminded Marcus and rest of the team, they had to win the match by more than that amount. It also meant that the burden of winning fell largely on Harry, because capturing the Snitch was worth one hundred and fifty points.

"You, Johnson, and Bell must do everything in your power to get more than fifty points," Wood told Marcus. "Remember, more than fifty points. Otherwise, we'll win the match, but lose the Cup. You've got it, right, Williams? Everything you can do to -"

"Oliver, if you tell me one more time, I'm going to snap you in half," Marcus said with such a dangerously low voice that Wood ceased and desisted.

The entire House of Gryffindor was obsessed with the coming match. Gryffindor hadn't won the Quidditch Cup since the legendary Charlie Weasley, Ron's second oldest brother, had been Seeker. Marcus doubted whether any of them, even Wood, wanted to win as much as he did.

The enmity between Malfoy and Marcus, as well as Malfoy and Harry, was at their highest points ever. In regards to Harry, Malfoy was, no doubt to Marcus, still smarting about the mud-throwing incident in Hogsmeade and was even more furious that Harry had somehow wormed his way out of punishment. With Marcus, the event of Malfoy's attempted distraction at the Ravenclaw matchup was still fresh in his mind, but the whole matter with Buckbeak acted as a source of determination to humiliate Slytherin in front of the entire school.

Such a matchup was never met with a highly charged atmsophere in Hogwarts memory quite like this one. By the time the holidays were over, tension between the two teams and their Houses was at the breaking point. A number of small scuffles broke out in the corridors, culminating in a nasty incident in which a Gryffindor fourth year and a Slytherin sixth year ended up in the hospital wing with leeks sprouting out of their ears.

Marcus and Harry were having a particularly bad time of it. They couldn't walk to class without Slytherins sticking out their legs and trying to trip them up; Crabbe and Goyle kept popping up wherever he went, and slouching away looking disappointed when they say them surrounded by people. Wood had given instructions that Harry and Marcus should be accompanied everywhere, in case the Slytherins tried to put them out of action. While the whole of Gryffindor House took up the challenge enthusiastically, Marcus asked Lorelei to guard him, to which she was more than happy to, allowing him to still get to classes on time without worrying about sabotage. The one thing that Marcus was sure of was that his Firebolt was safe. He made sure to put some spells around it so that any attempt of grabbing it other than his own would result in extreme pain and alerting him about it.

* * *

That evening, as Lorelei and Marcus were working out in the Room of Requirement, Lorelei asked, "Marcus, are you feeling nervous about the match tomorrow?"

"Nervous?" said Marcus. "Nonsense! I've trained for matches like these!"

However, he saw her giving him a rather disbelieving look and admitted, "Okay, maybe a little bit. But, I'm sure I'll be fine once I get on my broom!"

"And how is Sirius doing?" asked Lorelei.

"Um...well...actually, I wouldn't know. I haven't been out to see him in a long while."

"Oh, Marcus!" scolded Lorelei. "I'm sure he's feeling all alone out in those woods right now!"

"Hey, I've been busy!" Marcus stated. "And Sirius told me he would understand if I got busy!"

"Of course he would say that," Lorelei stated, arms crossed. "He's your godfather, but he still has needs, too! You should go see him tonight!"

"After this workout, I promise I will go and see him," said Marcus. "In the meantime, you've got to finish your push-ups so that we can work on your Animagus training."

She started to do push-ups as she said, "I'm starting to understand how you were feeling around this time last year. I feel really close to my form, but there seems to be some kind of barrier I can't seem to break."

"Well, I was able to shift into my form when my life was on the line," Marcus stated. "Perhaps, if we create a psuedo life-threatening situation, we may be able to get you to shift into your Animagus form."

"That's a good idea!" stated Lorelei. She finally finished her push-ups, standing up and saying, "My progress just keeps getting better and better! What do you think, Marcus?"

Marcus looked at Lorelei. He could see that her body was really starting to adapt well with the two-a-day workouts. She was really starting to tone up, and yet it didn't subtract from anything. Rather, it complimented her very well.

"Marcus?"

He found himself blushing, so he immediately looked away and said, "Yeah, you've made leaps and bounds since last year. I'm proud of you, Lorelei."

"Why, thank you, Marcus," Lorelei said in such a way that he felt his face getting flushed for some unknown reason.

* * *

Somehow, he had managed to make to the spot just on the edge of Forbidden Forest and saw his godfather resting on the ground in his Animagus form.

"Well, don't wait up on my account, Sirius," said Marcus with a smirk.

He saw Sirius raising his head, looking in his direction. Upon seeing Marcus, Sirius barked happily, shifited to his human form, and said, "Marcus, it's been a while!"

"Yes, it has," said Marcus with a smirk as he hugged his godfather.

"So, tell me, Marcus, what's been happening?"

He told him everything that had happened since the last time he saw him, from seeing the U.S.-Ireland match to school happenstances and how much progress he was making with his own training.

"The Hogwarts Quidditch Cup match is tomorrow?" asked Sirius. "Marcus, should you really be out here with me? You should be getting some rest!"

"I've been going off of little sleep for so long, I consider getting six hours of rest sleeping in," stated Marcus. "Hey, why don't we take a stroll?"

"That's a good idea," said Sirius. "Animagus forms?"

"Of course," said Marcus as he shifted into Leo.

As soon as Sirius shifted into his Animagus form, the two of them walked along the edge of the Forbidden Forest. As nervous as Marcus felt about the upcoming Quidditch match, being able to spend time with his godfather like this really helped him to calm down.

Crookshanks met up with them halfway into their walk, and it made it that much better. Marcus was able to see every detail of the moonlit grounds and castle, even the Gryffindor Tower.

Just for fun, Marcus focused on the tower, his vision zooming in on the window and was startled to see Harry staring out of it, looking rather startled.

Quickly, Marcus gave a quick and quiet grunt to Sirius, letting him know that they had to move.

They hurried back to their spot, shifted back to normal and Sirius said, "Marcus, what's the matter?"

"We were spotted by one of my friends," said Marcus, avoiding telling him the entirety of the situation. "I think we'll be fine, though. That person will just chalk it up to wildlife in the Forbidden Forest."

"Well, that's a relief," said Sirius with a smile. "Listen, go back up to the castle and get some sleep. Also, since you got exams coming up, I don't want you visiting me until they're over, all right?"

"But -"

"Do you promise?"

Marcus saw the rather serious look on his face and said, "I promise, Sirius."

He then waved goodbye as he rendered himself invisible and made his way back up to the castle.

* * *

Marcus and Harry walked with the rest of the Gryffindor team into the Great Hall the next day to tumultous applause. Marcus couldn't help but smirk when he saw that both the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables were applauding them too. Only the Slytherin table had anything bad to say, with their hissing and booing, but Marcus paid them no mind.

Wood spent the whole of breakfast urging his team to eat while touching nothing himself. Marcus stuck to match tradition and ate nothing as well. Before he knew it, he saw Wood taking off before anyone had finished, most likely to get an idea of the conditions. As they left the Great Hall, everyone applauded again.

Marcus happened to see Lorelei, who saw him and said, "Good luck, Marcus!"

Feeling a slight blush on his face, he gave her a smirk and a thumbs up as they walked through the doors.

"Okay - no wind to speak of - sun's a bit bright, that could impair your vision, watch out for it - ground's fairly hard, good, that'll give us a fast kickoff -"

Wood paced the field, staring around with the team behind him. Finally, they saw the front doors of the castle open in the distance and the rest of the school spilling onto the lawn.

"Locker rooms," said Wood teresly.

None of them spoked as they changed into their scarlet robes. Marcus gave all of his focus, his determination, his mindset into this one match. This type of Quidditch matches were the reason he trained, he refined, perfected his way of playing. And now that his chance had arrived, there was no way he was going to let the chance slip through his fingers.

Before Marcus knew it, he heard Wood say, "Okay, it's time, let's go -"

They walked out onto the field to a tidal wave of noise. Three-quarters of the crowd were wearing scarlet rosettes, waving scarlet flags with the Gryffindor lion upon them, or brandishing banners with slogans like "GO GRYFFINDOR!" and "LIONS FOR THE CUP!" Behind the Slytherin goalposts, however, two hundred people were wearing green; the silver serpent of Slytherin glittered on their flags, and Professor Snape sat in the very front row, wearing green like everyone else, and a very grim smile.

"And here are the Gryffindors!" yelled Lee Jordan, who was acting as commentator as usual. "Potter, Williams, Bell, Johnson, Weasley, Weasley, and Wood. Widely acknowledged as the best team Hogwarts has seen in a good few years -"

Lee's comments were drowned by a tide of "boos" from the Slytherin end.

"And here comes the Slytherin team, led by Captain Flint. He's made some changes in the lineup and seems to be going for size rather than skill -"

More boos came from the Slytherin crowd. Marcus thought that Lee had a point, considering that Malfoy, easily the smallest on their team, was in the back behind the rest of the bulked-up trolls.

"Captains, shake hands!" said Madam Hooch.

Flint and Wood approached each other and grasped each other's hand very tightly; it looked as though each was trying to break the other's fingers.

"Mount your brooms!" said Madam Hooch. "Three...two...one..."

As soon as the sound of the whistle went off, Marcus rocketed off the ground, the wind in his face, his heart beating fast.

He blocked off all sound as he flew next to Angelina, who was making her way to the goalposts. She went to pass it to Marcus, who was ready for it, but was blocked off by Warrington, who intercepted it and started to streak down the other side of the field. Annoyed, Marcus flew after him in hot pursuit. He was right on his tail when he noticed last minute that a Bludger was coming in his direction. It blinsided Warrington, who dropped the Quaffle. Marcus scooped it under his left arm and started to rocket towards the Slytherin goalposts. Montague went to stop him, but he swung on his broomstick to dodge him and didn't even let a Bludger slow him down, batting it away with his right armguard. He then looked at the far left goalpost, which made the Slytherin Keeper go towards it. At the last possible second, Marcus shot at the center hoop and made an easy throw in.

"HE SCORES! TEN-ZERO TO GRYFFINDOR!" Lee shouted to the stadium.

Marcus felt good, pumping his right fist into their air, the sea of scarlet below was screaming its delight -

"OUCH!"

Marcus found himself nearly thrown off his broom as Marcus Flint came crashing into him.

"Sorry!" said Flint as the crowd below booed. "Sorry, didn't see him!"

A moment later, Fred Weasley chucked his Beater's club at the back of Flint's head. Flint's nose smashed into the handle of his broom and began to bleed.

"That will do!" shrieked Madam Hooch, zooming between them. "Penalty shot to Gryffindor for an unprovoked attack on their Chaser! Penalty shot to Slytherin for deliberate damage to _their_ Chaser!"

"Come off it, miss!" howled Fred, but Madam Hooch blew her whistle and Angelina flew forward to take the penalty.

"Come on, Angelina!" yelled Lee into the silence that had descended on the crowd. "YES! SHE'S BEATEN THE KEEPER! TWENTY-ZERO TO GRYFFINDOR!"

Marcus, thouroughly relieved that Angelina scored, turned to see Flint, still bleeding freely, fly forward to take the Slytherin penalty. Wood was hovering in front of the Gryffindor goalposts, his jaw clenched.

"'Course, Wood's a superb Keeper!" Lee Jordan told the crowd as Flint waited for Madam Hooch's whistle. "Superb! Very difficult to pass - very difficult indeed - YES! I DON'T BELIEVE IT! HE'S SAVED IT!"

Wanting to make the gap between them and Slytherin even wider, Angelina took the Quaffle and starting to go up the field with it, but Pucey ended up stealing it from her, going the other way with it for all of two seconds before Katie took it back and, once again, making way to the Slytherin goalposts. All of a sudden, Montague of Slytherin got in front of her and, instead of seizing the Quaffle, grabbed her head. Katie cartwheeled in the air, mananged to stay on her broom, but dropped the Quaffle.

Madam Hooch's whistle rang out again as she soared over to Montague and began shouting at him. Marcus, enraged by such tactics, was more than eager to take the penalty. He then proceeded to embarrass the Slytherin Keeper with a perfectly executed Cyclone Psych that went into his right goalpost.

"THIRTY-ZERO! TAKE THAT, YOU DIRTY, CHEATING -"

"Jordan, if you can't commentate in an unbiased way - !"

"I'm telling it like it is, Professor!"

Montague then took the Quaffle and started zooming his way to the Gryffindor goalposts, but was halted by Marcus, who distracted him long enough for Angelina to steal the Quaffle from behind him and take off in the other direction. Marcus, confident that she'd be able to pass it to him, took off ahead of her. However, he didn't even see Flint, who appeared next to Angelina out of nowhere. A little too late, Marcus noticed Flint taking the Quaffle away from Angelina and streaking towards Wood. Marcus tried to get to him in time, but didn't make it as Flint managed to score on Oliver.

"Looks like you still fall short, Williams!" shouted Flint over the cheers from the Slytherins.

"We'll just see about that, Flint!" shouted Marcus right back.

It was clear that this match-up was going to turn dirty eventually, but even Marcus didn't guess just how badly. Obviously enraged that Gryffindor took such an early lead in the match, the Slytherin team were rapidly resorting to any means to take the Quaffle. Bole hit Marcus with his club and tried to say he'd thought he was a Bludger. Marcus retailated by slamming his left armguard into Bole's face, no doubt cracking the cheekbone. Madam Hooch awarded both teams penalties, and Wood pulled off another spectacular save, making the score forty-ten to Gryffindor.

Montague did all that he could to get to their goalposts, but all hopes of him scoring for Slytherin were dashed when Marcus kicked the Quaffle out from under him, with Katie Bell catching it and proceeding to score, making the score fifty-ten in Gryffindor's favor. Fred and George Weasley were swooping around her, clubs raised, in case any of the Slytherins were thinking of revenge. Marcus Williams, knowing full well what was going to happen, raced to their goalposts and just in time too; Bole and Derrick aimed both Bludgers at Wood. Marcus managed to swat one away with his right armguard, but wasn't quick enough to get the other one, which hit Wood so hard in the stomach that he was clutching his broom, completely winded.

Madam Hooch was beside herself.

"YOU DO NOT ATTACK THE KEEPER UNLESS THE QUAFFLE IS WITHIN THE SCORING AREA!" she shrieked at Bole and Derrick. "Gryffindor penalty!"

And Angelina scored, making the score Sixty-Ten. Moments later, Fred Weasley pelted a Bludger at Warrington, knocking the Quaffle out of his hands; Marcus seized it, weaved through the Slytherin Chasers, Bludgers, and the Slytherin Keeper, scoring another easy goal, which put them at seventy over Slytherin's ten.

Marcus could hear the Gryffindor supporters screaming themselves hoarse - Gryffindor was finally sixty points in the lead, and if Harry caught the Snitch now, the Cup was theirs.

Sure enough, Marcus saw Harry rocketing towards what Marcus surmised to be the Snitch, but then proceeded to see the most heinous thing possible in a Quidditch match: Draco Malfoy reaching out to the tail of Harry's Firebolt and actually pulling it back.

Immediately, Marcus wanted to punch Malfoy's head clear off his shoulders, but then he stopped and realized something: this was what Slytherin wanted to do. The Slytherin team wanted to throw them off so bad that they'd be able to come back.

While everyone was practically yelling at Malfoy, Marcus took deep breaths to ensure that he calmed down and was able to think straight. By the time he was able to achieve this, he saw Katie Bell taking the penalty, who was so angry that she missed the shot by several feet.

Clearly succeeding in their gambit, Montague took possession of the Quaffle and easily dodged Bell, Johnson, two horribly hit Bludgers, and a messed-up blocking attempt to score another point.

Marcus, having none of that, thought, _"Time to unleash my Quidditch prowress!"_

He received the Quaffle from Wood and rocketed towards the Slytherin goalpost. He couldn't help but make a mischevious smirk when he saw that all of the Slytherins players, aside from Malfoy, were streaking right towards him.

"BRING IT ON, SLYTHERIN TEAM!" Marcus roared.

Flint was the first to reach him, but Marcus swerved to the left and just as quickly dodged to the right to make Montague miss. He noticed two Bludgers coming at him, but swatted them back at Derrick and Bole, who caught them in the gut. He then swung on his broomstick to make Pucey spectacularly miss and proceeded to jump off his broom and push off the Slytherin Keeper's head with his free hand.

Somehow getting the feeling that he had no time to waste, Marcus chucked the Quaffle as hard as he could straight into the wide-open center hoop and, just as it went through, the stadium exploded with cheer.

Marcus looked behind him to see that Harry was high in the air, his raised hand clutched around the Snitch. They did it! They won the Cup!

Happiness overtaking him, Marcus rocketed towards Harry, beside himself with joy. Reaching him first, Marcus put his arm over Harry's shoulder, crowing and fist pumping with the free hand.

Then Wood made it to them, half-blinded by tears; he seized Harry and Marcus by the necks and sobbed into their shoulders unrestrainedly. Marcus felt two large thumps as Fred and George hit them; Angelina and Katie's voice could be heard frequently, shouting, _"We've won the Cup! We've won the Cup!"_ Tangled together in a many-armed hug, the Gryffindor team sank, yelling hoarsely, back to earth.

Endless amounts of crimson supporters was pouring over the barriers onto the field. Countless hands rained upon Marcus' back as well as confusing impressions of noises and bodies pressing on him, which would normally irritate him, but today was an exception. Then he, Harry, and the rest of the team were hoisted onto the shoulders of the crowd. Thrust into the light, Marcus saw Hagrid, plastered with crimson rosettes - "Yeh beat 'em, boys, yeh beat 'em! Wait till I tell Buckbeak!" Marcus also Percy, jumping up and down like a maniac, all dignity forgotten. Marcus even saw the startling sight of Professor McGonagall sobbing even harder than Wood was, wiping her eyes with an enormous Gryffindor flag. Finally, fighting their way toward Harry and Marcus were Ron, Hermione, and Lorelei. Words failed them, but when Marcus saw Lorelei's smile, how white and amazing it was, it spoke far better to him than any words he knew. At long last, Marcus and Harry were borne toward the stands, where Dumbledore stood waiting with the enormous Quidditch Cup.

If only there had been a dementor around... As a sobbing Wood passed Harry and Marcus the Cup, the two boys lifting it into the air together, Marcus felt that he could've produced the world's best Patronus.

 **And this concludes yet another chapter of HP: Freedom's Path! Please feel free to leave a review of this book, as it will help me be a better writer. Or, if you have any questions in regards to the series so far, feel free to leave me a PM and I promise, to the best of my abilities, that I will answer them. Otherwise, keep your eyes peeled for the next chapter of HP: Freedom's Path!**


	16. (16) The Calm Before The Storm

**Welcome, one and all, to the next chapter of HP: Freedom's Path! As the number of chapters left in this book are dwindling down, I just want to give a huge thank you to the people that have taken the time to read this book, as it means a lot to me! With that...**

 **Disclaimer: I have no ownership of HP, save for OC's.**

 **Now, here's**

Chapter 16: The Calm Before The Storm

 **Enjoy, everyone!**

The jovial feeling that Marcus felt for finally winning the Quidditch Cup lasted for a week. The weather seemed to be sharing the same sentiment; as June approached, the days became cloudless and sultry, and the first thing that the students felt like doing was strolling onto the grounds and flopping down on the grass with several pints of iced pumpkin juice, even go as far as to play a casual game of Gobstones or watching the giant squid propel istelf dreamily across the surface of the lake.

But Marcus knew for a fact that he couldn't do any of those things. Marcus, for the first time all year, felt extremely stressed out. Exams were nearly upon all of them, and instead of lazing around outside, they were forced to remain inside the castle, trying to cram as much information as they could, all the while catching the enticing scent of summer air drifting through the windows. Even Fred and George Weasley had been spotted working; they were about to take their O.W.L.s (Ordinary Wizarding Levels). Percy was getting ready to take his N.E.W.T.s (Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests), the highest qualification Hogwarts offered. Percy hoped to enter the Ministry of Magic, he needed top grades. He was becoming increasingly edgy, and gave very severe punishments to anybody who disturbed the quiet of the common room in the evenings. In fact, the only person who seemed more anxious than Percy and Hermione. However, the upcoming exams was not the reason Marcus was feeling stressed out, though it didn't help matters.

He was feeling stressed out because he knew that his time of keeping his friends oblivious to his activities with Sirius was rapidly coming to a close. He made sure that Pettigrew was still hiding out in Hagrid's Hut before formulating a plot to draw him out. His best one, unfortunately, involved his friends visiting Hagrid and hoping they would find the traitorous rat while they were there, which he figured was at least an eighty-five percent chance.

Regardless, his immediate focus had to be on his exams.

Harry and Ron had given up asking her how she was managing to attend several classes at once, but they couldn't restrain themselves when they saw the exam schedule she had drawn up for herself. The first column read:

 **Monday**

 **9 o'clock, Arithmancy  
9 o'clock, Transfiguration  
Lunch  
1 o'clock, Charms  
1 o'clock, Ancient Runes**

"Hermione?" Ron said cautiously, because she was liable to explode when interrupted these days. "Er - are you sure you've copied down these times right?"

"What?" snapped Hermione, picking up the exam schedule and examining it. "Yes, of course I have."

"Is there any point asking how you're going to sit for two exams at once?" said Harry.

"No," said Hermione shortly. "Have any of you seen my copy of _Numerology and Grammatica_?"

"Oh, yeah, I borrowed it for a bit of bedtime reading," said Ron, but very quietly.

Hermione started shifting heaps of parchment around on her table, looking for the book. Just then, there was a rustle at the window and Hedwig fluttered through it, a note clutched tight in her beak.

"It's from Hagrid," said Harry, ripping the note open. "Buckbeak's appeal - it's set for the sixth."

"That's the day we finish our exams," said Hermione, still looking everywhere for her Arithmancy book.

"And they're coming up here to do it," said Harry, still reading from the letter. "Someone from the Ministry of Magic and - and an executioner."

Marcus was in his own world, still formulating a solid plot to get Pettigrew when he heard Harry's last sentence. He snapped out of it, looked widly at Harry, and said, "They're bringing the executioner to the appeal! But that sounds as though they've already decided!"

"Yeah, it does," said Harry slowly.

"They can't!" Ron howled. "Marcus and I spent _ages_ reading up on stuff for him; they can't just ignore it all!"

But Marcus knew better. No doubt that Mr. Malfoy practically made the decision to execute Buckbeak for the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures. Draco, who had been noticeably subdued since Gryffindor's triumph in the Quidditch final, seemed to regain that nauseating swagger of his over the next few days. From the comments that Marcus overheard, Malfoy seemed very certain that Buckbeak was going to be executed, and seemed throughouly pleased that he was the person responsible for it. Marcus had to stop himself multiple times from decking Malfoy in the face. The worst part about the entire situation was that, though he could get around the security measures placed on the students, it was neither efficient nor worth his time to go and see Hagrid until the exams were over.

* * *

Exam week began and an unnatural hush fell over the castle. The third-years emerged from Transfiguration at lunchtime on Monday, limp and ashen-faced, comparing results and bemoaning the difficulty of the tasks they had been set, which had included turning a teapot into a tortoise. Marcus was thoroughouly satisfied with his performances, but Hermione went fussing about how her tortoise had looked like a turtle, which was the least of everyone's worries.

"Mine still had a spout for a tail, what a nightmare..."

"Were the tortoises _supposed_ to breathe steam?"

"It still had a willow-patterned shell, d'you think that'll count against me?"

Then, after a hasty lunch, it was straight back upstairs for the Charms exam. Just as Marcus surmised, Professor Flitwick did indeed test them on Cheering Charms. Marcus was paired up with Hermione and both did their spells flawlessly, but Harry had a rough time of it. He ended up slightly overdoing his spell, no doubt out of nerves and Ron, the poor sap that was partnered with him, ended up in fits of hysterical laughter and had to be led away to a quiet room for an hour before he was ready to perform the charm himself. After dinner, the students hurried back to their common rooms, not to relax, but to start studying for Care of Magical Creatures, Potions, and Astronomy.

Hagrid presided over the Care of Magical Creatures exam the following morning with a very preoccupied air indeed; his heart just didn't seem to be in the exam at all. He had provided a large tub of fresh flobberworms for the class, and told them that to pass the test, their flobberworm had to still be alive at the end of one hour. As flobberworms flourished best if left to their own devices, it was the easiest exam any of them had ever taken, and also gave Marcus, Harry, Ron, and Hermione plenty of opportunity to speak to Hagrid.

"Beaky's gettin' a bit depressed," Hagrid told them, bending low on the pretense of checking that Harry's flobberworm was still alive. "Bin cooped up too long. But still...we'll know day after tomorrow - one way or the other -"

They had Potions that afternoon, which was, despite the bold attempt to stymie him, quite the resounding success: Marcus' Confusing Concoction was perfectly made and even Snape had nothing to say about it, which meant he aced it. Not so with Harry; try as he might, he couldn't get his potion to thicken and Snape, standing over him with an air of vindictive pleausre, scribbled something that looked an awfully lot like a zero onto his notes before moving away.

Then came Astronomy at midnight, up on the tallest tower; History of Magic on Wednesday morning, which caused Marcus to use every bit of his willpower not to fall alseep and still answer all the questions right. Wednesday afternoon meant Herbology, in the greenhouses under a baking hot sun. Marcus made sure to wear a hood over his head and, while it caused him to sweat a lot, it prevented him from having a sunburnt neck. Marcus was still feeling semi-exhausted from all these exams. He was looking forward to this time tomorrow, when it would all be over.

Their second to last exam, on Thursday morning, was Defense Against the Dark Arts. Uncle Remus put together what Marcus thought to be the best exam yet: An obstacle course outside in the sun, where they had to wade across a deep paddling pool containing a grindylow, cross a series of potholes full of Red Caps, squish their way across a patch of marsh while ignoring misleading directions from a hinkypunk, then climb into an old trunk and battle with a new boggart.

"Outstanding, Marcus," Lupin muttered to him as Marcus got out of the trunk, smirking. "Full marks."

Very much satisfied with his success, Marcus stuck around to watch his friends go through the course. Harry performed the same as Marcus, Ron did very well until he reached the hinkypunk, which successfully confused him into sinking waist-high into the quagmire. Hermione did everything perfectly until she reached the trunk with the boggart in it. After about a minute inside it, she burst out again, screaming.

"Hermione!" said Uncle Remus, startled. "What's the matter?"

"P-P-Professor McGonagall!" Hermione gasped, pointing into the trunk. "Sh-she said I'd failed everything!"

It took a little while to calm Hermione down. When at last she had regained a grip on herself, she, Marcus, Harry, and Ron went back to the castle. Ron was still slightly inclined to laugh at Hermione's boggart, and Marcus was about to add in what he thought, but all thought of speaking up died when Marcus saw who was at the top of the castle steps, making him blanch.

His father, Michael Williams, looking a bit somber, was standing there staring out at the grounds. He noticed the four of them and smirked.

"Hello there," he said, "Just had an exam, I take it? Nearly finished?"

"Yes," said the four of them simultaneously. Marcus did not like this one bit. Why in the world was his father here?!

"It's a nice day today," continued Michael. "It's a shame I can't enjoy it."

He looked at the four of them and stated, "I'm here for a rather unpleasant task, you see. The Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures required a witness to the execution of a mad hippogriff, or so they say. As I needed to visit Hogwarts to check on the Black situation, I was asked to step in."

"Does that mean the appeal's already happened?" Ron interrupted, stepping forward.

"No, Ron, it's scheduled for this afternoon," Michael replied, giving Ron a stare that Marcus would recognize anywhere.

"Then you might not have to witness an execution at all!" said Ron stoutly. "The hippogriff might get off!"

Before his father could answer, Marcus saw two wizards coming through the castle doors behind his father. One looked so ancient that it seemed to be a miracle he was alive; the other was tall and strapping, with a thin black mustache. Marcus instantly recognized them as representatives of the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures. The very old wizard squinted toward Hagrid's cabin and said in a feeble voice, "Dear, dear, I'm getting too old for this...Two o'clock, isn't it, Michael?"

The black-mustached man was fingering something in his belt; Marcus looked and saw that he was running his thumb along the blade of a shining axe. Ron opened his mouth to say something, but Marcus nudged him rather hard in the ribs and practically dragged him into the entrance hall.

"Why'd you stop me?" said Ron angrily as they entered the Great Hall for lunch. "Did you see them? They've even got the axe ready! This isn't justice!"

"Of course it's not, Ron, but you have to understand the circumstances!" hissed Marcus. "Our dads work for the freaking Ministry! Anything we say or do reflects upon them! Besides, as long as Hagrid keeps his head this time, and argues his case properly, there may be a chance Buckbeak won't get executed..."

Even he didn't believe what he was saying. All around them, people were talking excitedly as they ate their lunch, happily anticipating the end of the exams that afternoon, but Marcus, Harry, Ron, and Hermione, lost in worry about Hagrid and Buckbeak, didn't join in.

Marcus', Harry's, and Ron's last exam was Divination; Hermione's, Muggle Studies. They walked up the marble staircase together; Hermione left them on the first floor and the three boys proceeded all the way up to the seventh floor, where many of their class were sitting on the spiral staircase to Professor Trelawney's classroom, trying to cram in a bit of last-minute studying.

"She's seeing us all separately," Neville informed them as they went to sit down next to him. He had his copy of _Unfogging the Future_ open on his lap at the pages devoted to crystal gazing. "Have any of you ever seen _anything_ in a crystal ball?" he asked them unhappily.

"Nope," said Ron in an offhand voice. He kept checking his watch, no doubt counting down the time until Buckbeak's appeal started.

Very slowly, the line of people outside the classroom shortened. As each person climbed back down the silver ladder, the rest of the class hissed, "What did she ask? Was it okay?"

But they all refused to say.

"She says the crystal ball's told her that if I tell you, I'll have a horrible accident!" squeaked Neville as he clambered back down the ladder toward Marcus, Harry, and Ron, who had now reached the landing.

"That's convenient," snorted Ron. "You know, I'm starting to think Hermione was right about her" - he jabbed his thumb toward the trapdoor overhead - "she's a right old fraud."

"Certainly seems like it," said Marcus. He looked at his own watch to see that two o'clock had finally come. "Wish she would just hurry up and get this over with..."

Marcus then saw Parvati coming back down the ladder glowing with pride.

"She says I've got all the makings of a true Seer," she informed the three boys. "I saw _loads_ of stuff...Well, good luck!"

She hurried off down the spiral staircase toward Lavender.

"Marcus Williams," said the familiar, misty voice from over their heads. Marcus sighed before climbing up the ladder. Out of all the exams he took, he knew for a fact that this one was the one he dreaded the most. Every time he stepped into the classroom was like stepping into the superstitions of the Wizarding World, and he couldn't stand it.

Once he was fully in the classroom, Professor Trelawney said softly, "Good day, Mr. Williams. Please take a seat in front of the Orb..."

Once he did so, she said in the same soft voice, "Now, if you would kindly gaze into the Orb...Take your time, now...then tell me what you see within it..."

Marcus enhanced his vision and grimaced at what he saw.

Like before, there were a ton of moving images, all of which were confusing and irritating. He kept seeing different monuments, landmarks, even people he'd never seen before in his life were showing up within the Orb.

Getting quite annoyed, Marcus stuck his hands up on the sides of the Orb and all he could see was one large, ominous moving image.

He was seeing a dark and overgrown graveyard. The black outline of a small church was visible beyond a large yew tree just to the right. A hill was there on the left. A shining trophy could be seen barely in the image.

"Now, what is it that you see, Marcus?" asked Professor Trelawney.

"An ominous-looking graveyard," breathed Marcus. "One that no one has maintained in years."

"Yes, yes," said Professor Trelawney. "What else?"

The moving image fast forward a bit and Marcus could now see a marble headstone. It was a rather insignificant headstone, save for one name:

 **TOM RIDDLE**

"A tombstone with the name Tom Riddle," said Marcus, anger seeping into his words.

"Keep going, Marcus," said Professor Trelawney slowly.

Again, the moving image blurred a bit. When it came back into focus, he saw a cauldron, the contents of which was blinding the surrounding area.

"A cauldron with a concoction that blinds me," said Marcus, now utterly confused.

"Just a little more, Marcus," said Professor Trelawney.

Once more, the moving image blurred. When it came back into focus, he saw a horrendously familiar sight: A well-built man that stood 6'5", wearing a black suit, white tie, and a cloak. The man looked as if he looking directly at Marcus and gave an evil smirk. Marcus looked into those red eyes and felt anger all over.

"THE DARK PRINCE!" Marcus roared and grasped the Orb, doing everything he could to shatter it to pieces.

"That's enough!" shrieked Professor Trelawney, which snapped Marcus back into reality. He returned his vision to normal, released his grip on the Orb, and took deep breaths to calm down.

"You did flawlessly in this exam, Marcus Williams," said Professor Trelawney. "I expect great things from you in the future."

 _"Oh, great, the one thing I was hoping NOT to hear,"_ thought Marcus as he went to the trapdoor.

However, he didn't take two steps when he heard a harsh, loud voice say, _"THE NEW AGE IS COMING."_

Marcus, quite startled, turned around and saw Professor Trelawney going rigid in her armchair, her eyes unfocused, her mouth sagging.

"What the -"

Professor Trelawney then said in that same, harsh voice, _"IN THE WORLD'S GRAVEST HOUR, DARKNESS WILL COVER THE WORLD, DOOMING US ALL, LED BY THE POWER THAT IS MISUNDERSTOOD. NONE CAN STOP HIM, STOP HIS MIGHT, SAVE FOR THE MAN MARKED BY LIGHT."_

Marcus, having enough bizarness for one day, made a beeline for the trapdoor.

As he made his way down the ladder, he heard Ron say, "How'd you do, Marcus? Did you see anything?"

"You don't want to know," Marcus said teresly, continuing to walk and not stopping until he made it in the Gryffindor common room.

Once he did, he saw Lorelei sitting by the fireplace, casually reading a book.

Forming a smirk, he said, "Hey, Lorelei, how are you doing?"

Lorelei looked behind her and saw Marcus. She gave a smile as she said, "I just got done with my last exam, Transfiguration. It was a breeze, it wasn't even much of an exam, truthfully."

"What about your other exams?"

"The only one I may have had a difficult time with was History of Magic, but that was only because I was struggling to keep myself awake, nothing to do with the difficulty of the exam."

She then looked around to make sure no one was around and continued, "So, what's the situation with the rat?"

Marcus frowned a bit and said, "Sirius and I will be making our move tonight."

"That's rather sudden," said Lorelei. "Why the prompt plan?"

"My father's here."

"What?!" said Lorelei, agahst. "But won't that -"

"It's actually the most opportunistic time, provided I can explain things to my dad," said Marcus. "Because my dad's the head Auror, all I would have to do is give Pettigrew to my dad and Sirius gets his freedom back."

"That _is_ a sound idea," said Lorelei, worried. "But, it could also backfire."

"That's true," said Marcus. "I'll have to tread lightly."

All of a sudden, they heard a voice from the portrait hole, "Hey, Lorelei, we're going down to the lake! Come join us!"

Lorelei looked at Marcus, who said, "You should go. I'll be fine."

She then nodded her head before looking towards the portrait hold and saying, "Hold on a second!"

As she left, he saw Ron and Hermione coming in.

"Hey," said Marcus. "How did it go, Ron?"

"Terrible," said Ron. "I couldn't see anything in that bloody Orb. Made up a bunch of stuff, but I don't think Professor Trelawney was convinced."

"How about you, Hermione?"

"Extremely well," said a smiling Hermione.

"Well, I can't say -"

But, Marcus never got to finish as Archie came in from the open window with a note tied to his leg.

"What's this?" asked Marcus as he untied the note.

The answer was exactly what Marcus feared. The words on the note were barely legible, conveying deep sadness:

 _Lost appeal. They're going to execute at sunset. Nothing you can do. Don't come down. I don't want you to see it. Hagrid_

"Guys, Hagrid lost the appeal," Marcus said in a somber voice.

"What?!" exclaimed Ron and Hermione at the same time. The two of them raced over the couch where Marcus was sitting, looked over his shoulders, and fell silent. Marcus knew that this outcome was very likely, but it still came as a shock to him.

Suddenly, the portrait hole opened and Marcus could hear Harry pant, "Professor Trelawney - just told me -"

All three of them turned around to look at them. Harry froze for a second as Ron said weakly, "Buckbeak lost. Hagrid's just sent this."

Harry looked over the note and said at once, "We'v got to go. He can't just sit there on his own, waiting for the executioner!"

"Sunset, though," said Ron, staring out the window in a sort of trance. "We'd never be allowed...'specially you and Marcus..."

Harry sank his head into his heads for a few seconds before saying, "If we only had the Invisibilty Cloak..."

"Where is it?" said Hermione.

Harry told her about leaving it in the passageway under the one-eyed witch.

"...if Snape sees me anywhere near there again, I'm in serious trouble," he finished.

"That's true," said Hermione, getting to her feet. "If he sees _you_...How do you open the witch's hump again?"

"You - you tap it and say, _'Dissendium_ , _'_ ' said Harry. "But -"

Hermione didn't wait for the rest of his sentence; she strode across the room, pushed open the Fat Lady's portrait and vanished from sight.

"She hasn't gone to get it?" Ron said, staring at her.

"Who knows?" said Marcus. "Okay, I've got an idea."

"Yeah?" said Harry. "What is it?"

"Instead of going to dinner, I'll go down to Hagrid's, under my Disillusionment Charm," stated Marcus. "Let him know that you, Ron, and Hermione will be coming down after dinner. Then, the three of you, under the Invisibility Cloak, will go down to Hagrid's and the four of us will be beside him, invisible of course."

"I like it," Harry said. "Let's go with that plan."

And so, they waited. About ten minutes after Marcus stopped talking, Hermione returned with the silvery Cloak folded carefully under her robes.

"Hermione, I don't know what's gotten into you lately!" said Ron, astounded. "First you hit Malfoy, then you walk out on Professor Trelawney -"

Hermione looked rather flattered.

* * *

Before Marcus knew it, it was time to go down to dinner.

Standing in the dormitory with Harry, Marcus said, "All right, you told Hermione the plan?"

"Yes," said Harry. "I'll cover for you, should any teachers ask where you are."

"Thanks, Harry," said Marcus as he rendered himself invisible. "I'll see you at Hagrid's."

Once he got out of the Gryffindor common room, however, he thought, _"Sorry, Harry, Ron, Hermione. I hope you'll forgive me."_

It was next to nothing to get through the castle and out of the entrance hall, but he went about getting to the Forbidden Forest cautiously. He never knew who could be paying attention.

Not soon enough, he made it to the Forbidden Forest. Making sure he was well-covered by the trees, he rendered himself visible again and made his way to Sirius.

Sure enough, he found him in the usual spot, petting Crookshanks.

"Sirius, it's me, Marcus," he said.

"Ah, there you are," said Sirius with a smile. He looked happy, but he sounded awful. "How did your -"

"Sirius, it's time."

Immediately, his godfather's demeanor changed entirely.

"We strike now, then?"

"Not yet, but we need to get in position and be ready," he stated. "I have Harry, Ron, and Hermione making their way down to Hagrid's after dinner. I'll be using my enhanced vision to monitor them the entire time. Once they have Pettigrew, they'll be forced to make their way back up the castle. Once they stop moving, Crookshanks will strike and us soon after."

"And how are you so sure they'll find Pettigrew," Sirius asked, his doubts evident.

"Let's just say fate has its way of working that out," Marcus said before looking at Crookshanks and saying, "All right, Crookshanks, did you get all of that?"

Crookshanks purred and rubbed its head on Marcus's right leg, letting him know that he did.

"If we're striking tonight, then we need to get to the Whomping Willow," said Sirius in a severely hoarse voice. "Let's get ourselves under your Disillusionment Charm, then make our way there."

Once Marcus cast the spell on the both of them, Marcus asked, "Why are we going towards a tree that's bound to attack us?"

They started making their way to the tree, Crookshanks walking alongside them, as Sirius replied in that same, raspy voice, "Because it leads to a place that will guarantee us complete and utter privacy: The Shrieking Shack."

Marcus whipped in the direction of his godfather's direction and said exasperately, "The Shrieking Shack?! How could you possibly know that?!"

"In due time, godson," Sirius told him. In that moment, they stood outside the attacking range of the Whomping Willow. Crookshanks suddenly took off for the base of the tree and, before the tree could even react, the ginger cat pressed a knob Marcus just laid his eyes on, causing the tree to go completely stiff.

"Well, that'll be a bit of knowledge to tuck away for a later date," said Marcus. "Let's go."

Upon reaching the base, Sirius went into the hole first, then Marcus, but he kept his head to where he could still see all that he could. He then looked to Crookshanks, who was laying beside Marcus' right side of his head. "I'll let you know when to go," he told Crookshanks. He then enhanced his vision and looked in the direction of the entrance doors.

It was a while, but eventually, Marcus saw three colored auras leaving the entrance doors.

"All right, they're going," said Marcus, keeping an eye on his friends.

"Marcus, can I ask you something?" Sirius asked from below him.

"Of course."

"If you knew everything that you had to go through this year to help me like this, all the stress I've put you under, from the beginning of the year, would you still have chosen to help me?"

Marcus looked at his godfather, positioned himself to hug him, and said, "I would do it in a heartbeat."

Sirius returned the hug and said, "Thank you, Marcus, for being an amazing godson."

Marcus then resumed watching his friends, who were knocking on the door. Once they made it inside, Marcus said, "All right, they're in."

He could hear his godfather's breathing starting to go ragged, no doubt his anticipation growing. Marcus couldn't blame him. He had been waiting for this chance for thirteen long years.

Marcus did feel a bit sad at having to decieve his friends, but he knew what he was doing was right. He could only hope they'd understand and forgave him, because he didn't know what he would do if they didn't.

After a long while, he saw Hermione tipping the jug with Pettigrew in it and, after seeing Ron get a hold of him, said, "All right, I knew it! They have Pettigrew!"

"Yes!" said Sirius, sounding quite ferocious. "Let's go!"

"Not yet!" said Marcus, holding his godfather back with his right arm. "I told you, we're going to get him out in the open. Besides, I don't want to fight Hagrid under any conditions."

"Fine," said Sirius, still using the same tone as before.

It was a little while longer than he liked, but eventually, Harry, Ron (with Pettigrew), and Hermione under the Invisibility Cloak.

"Remember, Crookshanks, the first time they stop, go for Pettigrew," said Marcus. "Now go."

As Crookshanks started making his way to them, Marcus looked to Sirius and said, "All right, I have an idea how to ensure our success."

Sirius, looking quite menacing in his depraved condition, said to Marcus, "And what exactly is your plan?"

"You'll be following after me," said Marcus. "When they've stopped, I'll shift into Leo and then you'll shift into your Animagus form. Once Crookshanks strikes, I'll give a low growl, and we'll strike."

"All right," said Sirius, sounding quite deadly by this point.

All too quickly, Harry, Ron, and Hermione had stopped. The time had come, the calm was now over. The storm had arrived.

 **And this concludes yet another chapter of HP: Freedom's Path! Feel free to leave a review, as this will only enhance my writing skills. Or, if you want to ask me anything, don't hesitate to send me a PM and I promise that I will answer them to the best of my abilities. Until then, keep a lookout for the next chapter of HP: Freedom's Path!**


	17. (17) The Great Confrontation

**Hello, one and all, to the next chapter of HP: Freedom's Path! Not much to say here except...**

 **Disclaimer: No ownership of HP save for OC's.**

 **Now, here's...**

Chapter 17: The Great Confrontation

 **Enjoy, everyone!**

Marcus climbed out of the Whomping Willow just enough to shift into Leo and saw, with his negative vision, saw that Sirius was doing the same. Sirius started to growl, but Leo knew that Sirius was waiting for him to give the go ahead.

It was quite advantageous to have the Negative Vision when it was night, as he could still see everything, even better than his normal vision during the daytime.

It seemed to happen at half-speed. Leo saw Pettigrew scrambling, trying to escape Ron's grasp and Crookshanks was getting nearer. Finally, Pettigrew got free and took off for the Whomping Willow, Crookshanks madly going after it.

Leo emitted a low growl and took off, Sirius barking and following suit. Their goal was simple: Get Pettigrew, take him through the Whomping Willow, and deal with him on the other side.

Leo saw Harry looking behind him a little too late. The look on his face was one of terror, but he couldn't stop. He streaked right past him and headbutt Ron in the stomach, effectively knocking the wind out of him.

Taking full advantage of the darkness and the Negative Vision, once he knew that Sirius had hold of Ron (who had Pettigrew), he guided Sirius where to go by emitting low growls,using sound to his advantage. Eventually, they got to the base of the tree, where a large gap, big enough for Leo to get through, resided. Once he got through, he looked behind to see Sirius struggling to get Ron through. All of a sudden, Sirius gave a mighty jerk of his neck and force Ron through, and Leo heard a rather loud snap coming from the hole. As they were both in the hole, Leo started going up the passageway, which seemed to be enchanted because it widened enough for Leo to get through. On and on, the passage went, just like the one that went to Honeydukes. He reasoned that he could shift back to his human form, but he didn't want to let Ron know, not yet. It was too soon.

Finally, after a long while, Leo emerged in a very disoriented, dusty room. Paper was peeling from the walls; there were stains all over the floor; every piece of furniture was broken as though somebody had smashed it. The windows were all boarded.

Leo looked to the right, then to the left and saw that there were stairs in what looked to be the hallway. He wasted no time in making his way up the stairs and, upon entering the room, positioned himself so that, when the door opened, he was behind it.

Two seconds after he entered, Sirius came in, Ron in tow. He roughly put them against the side of the four-poster bed, shifted back to his human form, and took Ron's wand away from him. Leo saw his legs and whined a bit. One of his legs was broken, going at a funny angle.

"Nearly time, Leo," he croaked. Leo surmised that he must've barked too loudly in a very small timespan, due to Sirius's voice being shot.

He could hear Harry and Hermione moving from downstairs, making their way to where they were. Any second now, they would be entering.

Sure enough, the door flew open and Harry and Hermione immediately dashed to Ron.

"Ron - are you okay?" asked Hermione.

"Where's the dog?" asked Harry.

"Not a dog," Ron moaned. His teeth were gritted with pain. "Harry, it's a trap -"

"What -"

 _"He's the dog...he's an Animagus..."_

Ron was looking over Harry's shoulder. Harry wheeled around. As quick as Harry turned around, Sirius closed the door.

 _"Expelliarmus!"_ he croaked, pointing Ron's wand at them.

Harry's and Hermione's wands shot out of their hands, high in the air, and Black caught them. Then he took a step closer. All of Sirius' attention was on Harry.

"I thought you'd come and help your friend," he said hoarsely. "Your father would have done the same for me. Brave of you, not to run for a teacher. I'm grateful...it will make everything much easier.

Leo then saw the look in Harry's eyes and recognized it instantly, for he saw the same thing in his eyes: It was absolute hate, an anger that could only subside when the source of hatred was wiped from existence. Harry started forward and Leo took a step forward, in case he should stop him, but two pairs of hands grabbed Harry's and held him back.

"No, Harry!" said Hermione, who saw Leo and had a look of pure terror. Ron, however, looked to Sirius and spoke fiercely.

"If you want to kill Harry, you'll have to kill us too!"

He tried to stand upright, but the effort drained him of even more color than before, and he even swayed a bit.

"Lie down," Sirius said quietly to Ron. "You will damage that leg even more."

"Did you hear me?" Ron said weakly, though he was clinging painfully to Harry to stay upright. "You'll have to kill all three of us!"

Leo looked to Sirius, to see what his reaction would be. His godfather stated, "There'll be only one murder here tonight," and his grin widened.

"Why's that?" Harry spat, who was doing everything in his power to get himself free of Ron and Hermione. "Didn't care last time, did you? Didn't mind slaughtering all those Muggles to get at Pettigrew...What's the matter, gone soft in Azkaban?"

Leo emitted a deep growl at this remark. Harry's attention flickered over to him for a second, looking rather hesitant, but his attention went back to Sirius just as quickly.

"Harry!" Hermione whimpered. "Be quiet!"

"HE KILLED MY MUM AND DAD!" Harry roared, and with a huge effort he broke free of Hermione's and Ron's restraint and lunged forward -

Leo was about to intercept Harry, but Sirius held out a hand and said, "NO, LEO!" The time it took Sirius to keep Leo from acting was enough for Harry to grab the other hand, the one with the wands, and punch the side of Sirius's head, making them fall backward, into the wall -

It was absolute chaos. Hermione was screaming; Ron was yelling; Leo got into a position to pounce as he watched a blinding flash, the wands in Black's hand sending a jet of sparks into the air that missed Harry's face by inches; Sirius was struggling, but Harry was not giving up so easily. He kept punching every part of his godfather that he could find.

However, Sirius's free hand had found Harry's throat -

"No," he hissed, "I've waited too long -"

Leo continued to watch as Sirius' fingers tightened, causing Harry to choke.

Then, out of nowhere, Hermione's foot swung into Sirius, causing him to let go of Harry from the pain. Ron had thrown himself on Sirius' wand hand and Leo heard a faint clatter.

It was a mad struggle as Harry went for his wand, and Crookshanks decided to join in as both sets of front claws had sunk themselves deep into Harry's arm; Harry threw him off, but Crookshanks went for Harry's wand -

"NO YOU DON'T!" roared Harry, and aimed a kick at Crookshanks that made the cat leap aside, spitting; Harry snatched up his wand and turned -

"Get out of the way!" he shouted at Ron and Hermione.

They didn't need telling twice. Hermione, gasping for breath, her lip bleeding, scrambled aside, snatching up her and Ron's wands. Ron crawled to the four-poster and collapsed onto it, panting, his white face now tinged with green, both hands clutching his broken leg.

Seeing his godfather sprawled at the bottom of the wall, Leo made his way to him and stopped in front of him to face Harry, who was walking slowly closer, his wand pointed straight where Sirius' heart was.

"Going to kill me, Harry?" he whispered.

Harry stopped just short of Leo, his wand still pointing at Sirius' chest, looking down between him and Leo.

"You killed my parents," said Harry, his voice shaking slightly, but his wand hand quite steady.

"I don't deny it," he said very quitely. "But if you knew the whole story -"

"The whole story?" Harry repeated, fury evident in his voice. "You sold them to Voldemort. That's all I need to know."

"You've got to listen to me," Black said, and there was a note of urgency in his voice now. "You'll regret it if you don't...You don't understand..."

"I understand a lot better than you think," said Harry, and his voice shook more than ever. "You never heard her, did you? My mum...trying to stop Voldemort killing me...and you did that...you did it..."

Before Leo could act, Crookshanks streaked across the room, leaping onto Sirius' chest and settling himself on the spot.

"Get off," he murmured, trying to push Crookshanks off him.

Leo turned his attention back to Harry and he heard Hermione give a dry sob. The look in Harry's eyes remained unchanged. He did not want to attack Harry, but he would do what he needed to do to keep his godfather alive.

Harry raised his wand, and Leo took a step or two forward, emitting a deep growl. To his surprise, Harry stood his ground, not wavering.

All of a sudden, a new sound came: Muffled footsteps were echoing through the floor - someone was moving downstairs.

"WE'RE UP HERE!" Hermione screamed suddenly. "WE'RE UP HERE - SIRIUS BLACK - _QUICK_!"

Leo gave a loud roar, to startle Harry into not acting, enough time for whoever was coming to intervene. It worked, as the door of the room burst open in a shower of red sparks and Harry wheeled around as Uncle Remus came hurtling into the room, his face bloodless, his wand raised and ready. Leo watched as his uncle's eyes flickered over Ron, lying on the floor, over Hermione, cowering next to the door, to Leo, to Harry, standing there with his wand covering Sirius, and then to Sirius himself, crumpled and bleeding behind Leo.

 _"Expelliarmus!_ " Lupin shouted.

Leo watched as Harry's wand flew once more out of his hand; so did the two Hermione was holding. Uncle Remus caught them all deftly, then moved into the room, staring between Leo and Sirius, who still had Crookshanks lying protectively across his chest.

Uncle Remus then spoke in an odd voice, a voice that shook with some suppressed emotion.

"Where is he, Sirius?"

Leo looked back at Sirius, who looked quite expressionless. For a few seconds, he didn't move at all. Then, very slowly, he raised his empty hand and pointed at Ron.

"But then..." Uncle Remus muttered, staring at Black so intently it seemed he was trying to read his mind, "...why hasn't he shown himself before now? Unless" - Uncle Remus' eyes suddenly widened, as though he was seeing something beyond Sirius, something none of the rest could see - "unless _he_ was the one... unless you switched ... without telling me?"

Very slowly, the sunken gaze of Sirius never leaving Lupin's face, Sirius nodded.

"Professor," Harry interrupted loudly, "what's going on -?"

But Harry never got the chance to finish his question. Leo saw Uncle Remus lowering his wand, gazing fixedly at Sirius. Leo stepped to the side as his uncle walked to Sirius' side, seized his hand, pulled him to his feet so that Crookshanks fell to the floor, and embraced Black like a brother.

"I DON'T BELIEVE IT!" Hermione screamed.

Leo turned towards Hermione and roared as loud as he could. Hermione screamed in fright and cowered.

All of a sudden, his Uncle Remus was in front of him. He crouched down so that his face was level with Leo's and said, "Listen to me, Leo. I promise that everything is going to be fine. You've done well this year, and I'm proud of you. But, now it's time for the truth."

Leo gave off a sort of a whine pitch, to which Sirius replied, "You knew this was coming, Leo. Better to get it done and over with."

Leo looked to Sirius, who gave him a reassuring look and then back at Uncle Remus, who said, "They have the right to know now. We're all in this together."

"Have the both of you gone mad?!" said Ron. "Why are you trying to reassure a lion?!"

Uncle Remus, not saying a word, stepped to the side. Leo put his rear to the floor and then it happened.

He slowly shifted back to his normal form. Eventually, Marcus Williams stood where the lion was previously sitting, looking at the floor.

He looked up to his friends, who all looked shell-shocked, and said, "Hello, Harry, Ron, Hermione."

"MARCUS?!" yelled Hermione. "WHY?!"

Marcus looked at Harry, whose look of being shell-shocked was starting to wear off and rapidly being replaced with a look of fury.

Marcus was lost for words, fighting the tears from his eyes as Uncle Remus started to say, "Hermione -"

"You two!" said Hermione, pointing to Uncle Remus and Marcus before pointing to Sirius and said, "And him!"

"Hermione, calm down -"

"I didn't tell anyone!" Hermione shrieked. "I've been covering up for you -"

"Hermione, listen to me, please!" Uncle Remus shouted. "I can explain -"

"I trusted you!" Harry shouted at Uncle Remus, his voice wavering dangerously out of control. He looked to Marcus and said, "And you! And, all this time, the two of you have been his friend!"

"You're wrong," said Uncle Remus. "I haven't been Sirius's friend, but I am now - Let me explain..."

"NO!" Hermione screamed. "Harry, don't trust him, he's been helping Black get into the castle, he wants you dead too - _he's a werewolf_!"

There was a ringing silence. Everyone's eyes were now on Uncle Remus, who looked remarkably calm, though rather pale.

"Not at all up to your usual standard, Hermione," he said. "Only one out of three, I'm afraid. I have not been helping Sirius get into the castle and I certainly don't want Harry dead..." An odd shiver passed over his face. "But I won't deny that I am a werewolf."

Marcus noticed Ron making a valiant effort to get up again but fell back with a whimper of pain. Uncle Remus went toward him, looking concerned, but Ron gasped, _"Get away from me, werewolf!"_

Normally, Marcus would tell Ron off for saying such a horrendous statement, but he didn't have the will to do it now. Truthfully, he didn't know what to do. He felt that he was caught in a horrible nightmare.

Uncle Remus stopped dead. Then, with an obvious effort, he turned to Hermione and said, "How long have you known?"

"Ages," Hermione whispered. "Since I did Professor Snape's essay..."

"He'll be delighted," said Lupin coolly. "He assigned that essay hoping someone would realize what my symptoms meant... Did you check the lunar chart and realize that I was always ill at the full moon? Or did you realize that the boggart changed into the moon when it saw me?"

"Both," Hermione said quietly.

Uncle Remus forced a laugh.

"You're the cleverest witch of your age I've ever met, Hermione."

"I'm not," Hermione whispered. "If I'd been a bit more clever, I'd have told everyone what you are!"

"But they already know," said Lupin. "Don't they, Marcus?"

All Marcus could do was nod his head.

"Wait," said Hermione, whose eyes then widened and squeaked, "Marcus, did you know, too?!"

Marcus, again, nodded his head.

Before anyone else could say anything, Uncle Remus continued, "Well, at least the staff knows, anyway."

"Dumbledore hired you when he knew you were a werewolf?" Ron gasped. "Is he mad?"

"Some of the staff thought so," said Uncle Remus. "He had to work very hard to convince certain teachers that I'm trustworthy -"

"AND HE WAS WRONG!" Harry yelled. "YOU'VE BEEN HELPING HIM ALL THIS TIME!"

"UNCLE REMUS HAS _NOT_ BEEN HELPING SIRIUS!" Marcus roared, suddenly snapping out of it and looking Harry dead in the eyes. He put his left hand to his chest and continued, " _I_ HAVE!"

Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at Marcus, looking quite thunderstrucked from Marcus' proclamation.

"WHY?!" Harry yelled at Marcus. "WHY WOULD YOU HELP THIS MURDERER, KNOWING WHAT HE'S DONE?!"

"It's because of what I know that has led me to helping Sirius," said Marcus, his voice almost as loud. He then took a deep breath and continued in an even tone, "Please, Harry, give me a chance to explain everything."

"If you will," Uncle Remus said before proceeding to separating Harry's, Ron's, and Hermione's wands and threw each back to its owner; Harry caught his, looking quite stunned.

"There," said Uncle Remus, sticking his own wand back into his belt. "You're armed, we're not. Now will you listen to us?"

Harry had a look of cluelessness on his face before saying, "So, Professor, if what Marcus says is true, and you haven't been helping him -" he gave a furious stare at Sirius- "how did you know he was here?"

"The map," said Uncle Remus. "The Marauder's Map. I was in my office examining it -"

"You know how to work it?" Harry said suspiciously.

"Of course I know how to work it," said Uncle Remus, waving his hand impatiently. "I helped write it. I'm Moony - that was my friends' nickname for me at school."

Marcus, caught quite off guard at this statement, looked at his uncle and started to say, "You _wrote_ -?"

"The important thing is, I was watching it carefully this evening, because I had an idea that you, Ron, and Hermione might try and sneak out of the castle to visit Hagrid before his hippogriff was executed. And I was right, wasn't I?"

He had started to pace up and down, looking at them. Little patches of dust rose at his feet.

"You might have been wearing your father's old Cloak, Harry -"

"How d'you know about the Cloak?"

"The number of times I saw James disappearing under it..." said Uncle Remus, waving an impatient hand again. "The point is, even if you're wearing an Invisibility Cloak or -" he looked to Marcus - "using the Disillusionment Charm -" he then looked back at Harry - "you still show up on the Marauder's Map. I watched you cross the grounds and enter Hagrid's hut. Twenty minutes later, you left Hagrid, and set off back toward the castle. But you were now accompanied by somebody else."

"What?" said Harry. "No, we weren't!"

"I couldn't believe my eyes," said Lupin, still pacing, and ignoring Harry's interruption. "I thought the map must be malfunctioning. How could he be with you?"

"No one was with us!" said Harry.

"And then I saw two dots, moving fast toward you, labeled _Sirius Black_ and _Marcus Williams_." He then looked to Marcus and said, "It was at this point, by the way, that I knew you must've been working with Sirius."

He then looked once more to Harry and continued, "I then saw Sirius collide with you; I watched as Marcus went through first and Sirius after him, Sirius pulling the two of you into the Whomping Willow -"

"One of us!" Ron said angrily.

"No, Ron," said Lupin. "Two of you."

He had stopped his pacing, his eyes moving over Ron.

"Do you think I could have a look at the rat?" he said evenly.

"What?" said Ron. "What's Scabbers got to do with it?"

"Everything, Ron," said Marcus. "Please, let Uncle Remus see him."

Ron hesitated, then put a hand inside his robes. Marcus saw Pettigrew emerging, thrashing desperately; Ron had to seize his long bald tail to stop him escaping. Crookshanks stood up on Sirius' leg and made a soft hissing noise.

Uncle Remus moved closer to Ron. He seemed to be holding his breath as he gazed intently at Pettigrew's Animagus form.

"What?" Ron said again, holding the rat close to him, looking scared. "What's my rat got to do with anything?"

"That's not a rat," croaked Sirius suddenly.

"What d'you mean - of course he's a rat -"

"No, he's not," said Lupin quietly. "He's a wizard."

"An Animagus, to be precise," said Sirius.

"And his name is Peter Pettigrew," finished Marcus, his hatred quite evident.

 **And this concludes another chapter of HP: Freedom's Path! Please leave a review letting me know what you think, as this can only improve my skills as a writer. If you want to ask me any questions, please feel free to leave me a PM and I promise that I will answer them to the best of my abilities. Until then, keep your eyes open for the next chapter of HP: Freedom's Path!**


	18. (18) The Great Marauders

**Welcome, fellow readers, to another chapter of HP: Freedom's Path! Not much to say at this point except...**

 **Disclaimer: No ownership of HP except for OC's.**

 **Now, here's...**

Chapter 18: The Great Marauders

 **Enjoy, one and all!**

It took a few seconds, but Marcus confirmed what he thought they were thinking about them.

"You're all mental!" Ron exclaimed.

"Ridiculous!" said Hermione faintly.

"Petter Pettigrew's _dead_!" said Harry. " _He_ killed him twelve years ago!" He pointed to Sirius, who face twitched convulsively.

"I meant to," he growled, his yellow teeth bared, "but little Peter got the better of me...not this time, though!"

The moment Marcus saw Crookshanks thrown to the floor, Marcus streaked to intercept Sirius.

"Sirius, NO!" Marcus yelled, who was keeping Sirius back by pushing on his chest. "WAIT! You can't do it just like that - they need to understand - we've got to explain -"

"We can explain afterwards!" snarled Black, trying to shove Marcus off. One hand was still clawing the air as it tried to reach Scabbers, who was squealing like a piglet, scratching Ron's face and neck as he tried to escape.

"They've got a right to know everything!" Marcus said, still restraining Sirius. "Ron's kept him as a pet! There are parts of it even I don't understand! And Harry - you owe Harry the truth, Sirius!"

Sirius had a look of fury on his face, which disappeared the moment an all too familiar voice from the doorway said, "You owe more than Harry the truth, Sirius."

Marcus whipped his head toward the direction of the door to find his father, Michael Williams, leaning against the doorway.

"DAD?!" said Marcus.

"Ah, Michael, old friend," said Uncle Remus in a curteous tone. "So glad you could join us."

"I want the truth, as well," said Michael as if Uncle Remus didn't say anything.

"How long have you been there?" asked Marcus.

"I've been here since Remus arrived," said Michael. "Now, I want the truth."

His father said it in such a tone that it set the entire room on edge, even Sirius, who stopped struggling, though his hollowed eyes were still fixed on Pettigrew, who was clamped tightly under Ron's bitten, scratched, and bleeding hands.

"All right, then," Sirius said, without taking his eyes off the rat. "Tell them whatever you like. But make it quick, men. I want to committ the murder I was imprisoned for..."

"So, who wants to start this?" Marcus said with uncertainty in his voice, looking at his Uncle Remus.

"I'll start it," said Uncle Remus. "After all, I'm where it all began..."

"You're nutters, all three of you," said Ron shakily, looking round at Harry and Hermione for support. "I've had enough of this. I'm off."

He tried to heave himself up on his good leg, but Marcus summoned his wand and pointed it at Pettigrew.

"Please, Ron, you have to hear us out," pleaded Marcus. "All I ask is that you keep a tight grip on Peter while you listen."

"HE'S NOT PETER, HE'S SCABBERS!" Ron yelled, tring to force the rat back into his front pocket, but Pettigrew was fighting too hard; Ron swayed and overbalanced, and Harry caught him and pushed him back down to the bed. Then, ignoring Sirius, Marcus saw Harry turning to Uncle Remus.

"There were witnesses who saw Pettigrew die," he said. "A whole street full of them..."

"They didn't see what they thought they saw!" said Sirius savagely, still watching Pettigrew struggling in Ron's hands.

"Everyone thought Sirius killed Peter," said Uncle Remus, nodding. "I believed it myself - until I saw the map tonight. Because the Marauder's Map never lies... Peter's alive. Ron's holding him, Harry."

Harry looked down at Ron and Marcus knew, based on the way they were looking at each other that they still weren't believing a word they were hearing.

Then Hermione spoke, in a trembling, would-be calm sort of voice, as though trying to will Uncle Remus to talk sensibly.

"But Professor Lupin... Scabbers can't be Pettigrew... it just can't be true, you know it can't..."

"Why can't it be true?" Uncle Remus said calmly, as though they were in class, and Hermione had simply spotted a problem in an experiment with grindylows.

"Because...because people would _know_ if Peter Pettigrew had been an Animagus. We did Animagi in class with Professor McGonagall. And I ooked them up when I did my homework - the Ministry of Magic keeps tabs on witches and wizards who can become animals; there's a register showing what animal they become, and their markings and things...and I went and looked Professor McGonagall up on the register, and there have been only seven Animagi this century, and Pettigrew's name wasn't on the list -"

Uncle Remus laughed and said, "Right again, Hermione! But the Ministry never knew that there used to be four unregistered Animagi running around Hogwarts."

"If you're going to tell them the story, get a move on, Remus," snarled Sirius, who was still watching Pettigrew's every desperate move. "I've waited twelve years, I'm not going to wait much longer."

"You'll wait as long as it takes for the truth to be known, Sirius," said Michael in a tone even Marcus was terrified of.

"All right...but you'll need to help me, Sirius," said Uncle Remus, "You as well, Marcus. I only know how it began..."

Uncle Remus broke off. There had been a loud creak behind him. The bedroom door had opened of its own accord. All seven of them started at it. Then Uncle Remus strode toward it and looked out into the landing.

"No one there..."

"This place is haunted!" said Ron.

"It's not," said Uncle Remus, still looking at the door in a puzzled way. "The Shrieking Shack was never haunted... The screams and howls the villagers used to hear were made by me."

He pushed the graying hair out of his eyes, thought for a moment, then said, "That's where all of this starts - with my becoming a werewolf. None of this could have happened if I hadn't been bitten...and I hadn't been so foolhardy..."

He looked sober and tired. Ron started to interrupt, but Hermione said, "Shh!" She was watching Lupin very intently. Marcus gave his Uncle Remus his undivided attention.

"I was a very smll boy when I received the bite. My parents tried everything, but in those days there was no cure. The potion that Professor Snape has been making for me is a very recent discovery. It makes me safe, you see. As long as I take it in the week proceeding the full moon, I keep my mind when I transform...I am able to curl up in my office, a harmless wolf, and wait for the moon to wane again.

"Before the Wolfsbane Potion was discovered, however, I became a fully fledged monster once a month. It seemed impossible that I would be able to come to Hogwarts. Other parents weren't likely to want their children exposed to me.

"But then Dumbledore became headmaster, and he was sympathetic. He said that as long as we took certain precautions, there was no reason I shouldn't come to school..." Uncle Remus sighed, and looked directly at Harry. "I told you, months ago, that the Whomping Willow was planted the year I came to Hogwarts. The truth is that it was planted _because_ I came to Hogwarts. This house" - Uncle Remus looked miserably around the room - "the tunnel that leads to it - they were built for my use. Once a month, I was smuggled out of the castle, into this place, to transform. The tree was placed at the tunnel mouth to stop anyone coming across me while I was dangerous."

Marcus felt a little sad, listening to his Uncle's story. He couldn't imagine having to go through so much just to try and live a normal life.

"My transformations is those days were - were terrible. It is very painful to turn into a werewolf. I was separated from humans to bite, so I bit and scratched myself instead. The villagers heard the noise and the screaming and thought they were hearing particularly violent spirits. Dumbledore encouraged the rumor... Even now, when the house has been silent for years, the villagers don't dare approach it...

"But apart from my transformations, I was happier than I had ever been in my life. For the first time ever, I had friends, four great friends. Sirius Black...Peter Pettigrew...and, of course, your fathers, Harry and Marcus - Michael Williams and James Potter.

"Now, my four friends could hardly fail to notice that I disappeared once a month. I made up all sorts of stories. I told them my mother was ill, and that I had to go home to see her...I was terrified they would desert me the moment they found out what I was. But of course, they, like you, Hermione, worked out the truth...

"And they didn't desert me at all. Instead, they did something for me that would my transformations not only bearable, but the best times of my life. They became Animagi."

Marcus, realizing something, looked to his father and said, "You're an Animagus?!"

His father gave him a stare that made him cower and bit and say, "Right, I'll get to that at a later time."

"My dad too?" said Harry, sounding astounded.

"Yes, indeed," said Uncle Remus. "It took them the best part of three years to work out how to do it. Your fathers, Harry and Marcus, and Sirius here were the cleverest students in the school, and lucky they were, because the Animagus transformation can go horribly wrong - one reason the Ministry keeps a close watch on those attempting to do it. Peter needed all the help he could get from James, Michael, and Sirius. Finally, in our fifth year, they managed it. They could each turn into a different animal at will."

"But how did that help you?" said Hermione, sounding puzzled.

"They couldn't keep me company as humans, so they kept me company as animals," said Uncle Remus. "A werewolf is only a danger to people. They sneaked out of the castle every month under James's Invisibility Cloak. They transformed...Peter, as the smallest, could slip beneath the Willow's attacking branches and touch the knot that freezes it. They would then slip down the tunnel and join me. Under their influences, I became less dangerous. My body was still wolfish, but my mind seemed to become less so while I was with them."

"Hurry up, Remus," snarled Black, who was still watching Pettigrew with a ravenous sort of look on his face.

"I'm getting there, Sirius, I'm getting there...well, highly exciting possibilities were open to us now that we could all transform. Soon we were leaving the Shrieking Shack and roaming the school grounds and the village by night. Sirius, Michael, and James transformed into such large animals, they were able to keep a werewolf in check. I doubt whether any Hogwarts students ever found out more about the Hogwarts grounds and Hogsmeade than we did...And that's how we came to write the Marauder's Map, and sign it with our nicknames. Sirius is Padfoot. Peter is Wormtail. Michael is Maney. James was Prongs."

"What sort of animal -?" Harry began, but Hermione cut him off.

"That was still really dangerous! Running around in the dark with a werewolf! What if you'd given the others the slip, and bitten somebody?"

"A thought that still haunts me," said Uncle Remus heavily. "And there were near misses, many of them. We laughed about them afterwards. We were young, thoughtless - carried away with our own cleverness.

"I sometimes felt guilty about betraying Dumbledore's trust, of course...he had admitted me to Hogwarts when no other headmaster would have done so, and he had no idea I was breaking the rules he had set down for my own and others' safety. He never knew I had led four fellow students into becoming Animagi illegally. But I always managed to forget my guilty feelings every time we sat down to plan our next month's adventure. And I haven't changed..."

At this point, Marcus saw his uncle's face getting hardened, and there was self-digust in his voice. "All this year, I have been battling with myself, wondering whether I should tell Dumbledore that Sirius was an Animagus. But I didn't do it. Why? Because I was too cowardly. It would have meant admitting that I'd betrayed his trust while I was at school, admitting that I'd led others along with me...and Dumbledore's trust has meant everything to me. He let me into Hogwarts as a boy, and he gave me a job when I have been shunned all my adult life, unable to find paid work because of what I am. And so I convinced myself that Sirius was getting into the school using Dark Arts he learned from Voldemort, that being an Animagus had nothing to do with it...so, in a way, Snape's been right about me all along."

"Snape?" said Sirius harshly, taking his eyes off Pettigrew for the first time in minutes and looking up at Uncle Remus. "What's Snape got to do with it?"

"He's here, Sirius," said Uncle Remus heavily. "He's teaching here as well." He looked up at Marcus, Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

"Professor Snape was at school with us. He fought very hard against my appointment to the Defense Against the Dark Arts job. He has been telling Dumbledore all year that I am not to be trusted. He has his reason...you see, Sirius here played a trick on him which nearly killed him, a trick which involved me -"

Sirius made a derisive noise.

"It servd him right," he sneered. "Sneaking around, trying to find out what we were up to...hoping he could get us expelled..."

"Severus was very interested in where I went every month," Lupin told Marcus, Harry, Ron, and Hermione. "We were in the same year, you know, and we - er - didn't like each over very much. He especially disliked James and, later on, Michael. Jealous, I think, of their talent on the Quidditch field...anyway, Snape had seen me crossing the grounds with Madam Pomfrey one evening as she led me toward the Whomping Willow to transform. Sirius thought it would be - er - amusing, to tell Snape all he had to do was prod the knot on the tree trunk with a long stick, and he'd be able to get in after me. Well, of course, Snape tried it - if he'd got as far as this house, he'd have met a fully grown werewolf - but your father, Harry, who'd heard what Sirius had done, went after Snape and pulled him back, at great risk to his life...Snape glimpsed me, though, at the end of the tunnel. He was forbidden by Dumbledore to tell anybody, but from that time on he knew what I was..."

"So that's why Snape doesn't like you," said Harry slowly.

"He must've thought you were in on the joke too, Uncle Remus," Marcus stated.

"That's right, boys," sneered a cold voice form the wall behind Uncle Remus.

Marcus looked to find the last thing he wanted to see: Severus Snape pulling off Harry's Invisibility Cloak, his wand pointing directly at Uncle Remus.

 **And this concludes yet another chapter of HP: Freedom's Path! I'm sorry that it seemed really short, but it just worked out that way, considering the structure of the story. Anyway, please feel free to leave a review, letting me know what you think. Also, if you have any questions, please feel free to leave me a PM and I promise that I will answer them to the best of my abilities. Until then, keep your eyes open for the next chapter of HP: Freedom's Path!**


	19. (19) The Great Traitor

**Welcome, one and all, to the next chapter of HP: Freedom's Path! It's so weird to think that, after this chapter, there is only three chapter remaining before this book is finished. Not to worry, I do plan on finishing through the series, but's it so surreal that my series is already close to having three books posted. But, enough about that!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of HP, sadly. I do own OC's, so NO STEALING!**

 **With that, here's...**

Chapter 19: The Great Traitor

 **Enjoy, everyone!**

Hermione screamed. Black lept to his feet. Harry jumped as though he'd received a huge electric shock.

"I found this at the base of the Whomping Willow," said Snape, throwing the Cloak aside, careful to keep his wand pointing directly at Uncle Remus's chest. "Very useful, Potter, I thank you..."

Snape was slightly breathless, but his face was full of suppresed triumph. "You're wondering, perhaps, how I knew you were here?" he said, his eyes glittering. "I've just been to your office, Lupin. You forgot to take your potion tonight, so I took a gobletful along. And very lucky I did...lucky for me, I mean. Lying on your desk was a certain map. One glance at it told me all I needed to know. I saw you running along this passageway and out of sight."

"Severus -" Uncle Remus began, but Snape overrode him.

"I've told the headmaster again and again that you're helping your old friend Black into the castle, Lupin, and here's the proof. Not even I dreamed you would have the nerve to use this old place as your hideout -"

"Severus, you're making a mistake," said Uncle Remus urgently. "You haven't heard everything - I can explain - Sirius is not here to kill Harry -"

"Two more for Azkaban tonight," said Snape, his eyes now gleaming fanatically. "I shall be interested to see how Dumbledore takes this...He was quite convinced you were harmless, you know, Lupin... a _tame_ werewolf -"

"You fool," said Uncle Remus softly. "Is a schoolboy grudge worth putting an innocent man back inside Azkaban?"

BANG! Thin, snakelike cords burst from the end of Snape's wand and twisted themselves around Uncle Remus's mouth, wrists, and ankles; he overbalanced and fell to the floor, unable to move. With a roar of rage, Sirius started toward Snape, but Snape pointed his wand straight between Sirius's eyes.

"Give me a reason," he whispered. "Give me a reason to do it, and I swear I will."

Sirius stopped dead. It would have been impossible to say which face showed more hatred.

Marcus, having enough, was about to summon his wand, but didn't even get the chance to do it as he saw his father touch his wandpoint up against Snape's left temple and said with more suppressed rage than Marcus ever heard, "You won't get that far, you wretched scum."

Marcus was surprised to see Snape not backing down, but instead look at Michael with just as much anger and state, "It doesn't surprise me you would side with a murderer, Michael. Nothing's changed, I see. Deceiver then, deceiver now. I wonder how the Ministry will react when they learn that their prized Head Auror has been in cahoots with Black all year long."

"You've got nothing for proof and you know it," said Michael, with as much hate as before.

It was at this point that Hermione took an uncertain step toward Snape and said, in a very breathless voice, "Professor Snape - it - it wouldn't hurt to hear what they've got to say, w-would it?"

"Miss Granger, you are already facing suspension from this school," Snape spat. "You, Potter, Weasley, and Williams are out-of-bounds, in the company of a convicted murderer and a werewolf. For once in your life, _hold your tongue_."

"But if - if there was a mistake -"

"KEEP QUIET, YOU STUPID GIRL!" Snape shouted, looking suddenly quite deranged. "DON'T TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!" A few sparks shot out of the end of his wand, which was still pointed at Sirius's face.

Hermione fell silent. Michael, however, shouted, "THE ONLY ONE IN THIS ROOM WHO DOESN'T UNDERSTAND IS YOU! SO MAYBE YOU SHOULD SHUT UP!"

Snape went livid, pointed his wand at Michael, and said in a deadly tone, "After I'm through with Black and Lupin, Williams, I swear you'll be next if you continue to talk."

Michael, not wanting to push Snape any further, fell silent, but still had a vivid look of anger on his face.

Snape then pointed his wand back at Sirius and breathed, "Vengeance is very sweet. How I hoped I would be the one to catch you..."

"The joke's on you again, Severus," Sirius snarled. "As long as this boy brings his rat up to the castle" - he jerked his head at Ron - "I'll come quietly..."

"Up to the castle?" said Snape silkily. "I don't think we need to go that far. All I have to do is call the dementors onc we get out of the Willow. They'll be pleased to see you, Black...pleased enough to give you a little Kiss, I daresay..."

What little color there was in Sirius's face left it.

"You - you've got to hear me out,' he croaked. "The rat - look at the rat."

But Marcus saw a mad glint in Snape's eyes that he had never seen before. He seemed beyond any sense of reason.

"Come on, all of you," he said. He clicked his fingers, and the ends of the cords that bound Uncle Remus flew to his hands. "I'll drag the werewolf. Perhaps the dementors will have a Kiss for him too -"

Marcus immediately crossed the room to the door to block Snape way's and, to his surprise, Harry did as well.

"Get out of the way, boys, you're in enough trouble already," snarled Snape. "If I hadn't been here to save your skin -"

"Professor Lupin could have killed me about a hundred times this year," Harry said. "I've beeen alone with him loads of time, having defense lessons against the dementors alongside Marcus. If he was helping Black, why didn't he just finish me off then?"

"Don't ask me to fathom the way a werewolf's mind works," hissed Snape. "Get out of the way."

"YOU'RE PATHETIC!" Harry yelled. "JUST BECAUSE THEY MADE A FOOL OF YOU AT SCHOOL YOU WON'T EVEN LISTEN -"

"SILENCE! I WILL NOT BE SPOKEN TO LIKE THAT!" Snape shrieked, looking madder than ever. "Like father, like son, Potter! I have just saved your neck; you should be thanking me on bended knee! You would have been well served if he'd killed you! You'd have died like your father, too arrogant to believe you might be mistaken in Black - now get out of the way, both of you, or I will _make you_. GET OUT OF THE WAY, POTTER, WILLIAMS!"

Marcus knew exactly what to do. He summoned his wand, raised it, and yelled, _"Expelliarmus!"_

However, he wasn't the only voice that shouted. There was a blast that made the door rattle on its hinges; Snape was lifted off his feet and slammed into the wall, then slid down it to the floor, a trickle of blood oozing from under his hair. He had been knocked out.

Marcus looked around. From what he could see, Harry, Ron, and Hermione tried to Disarm Snape at the exact same moment. Snape's wand soared in a high arc and landed on the bed next to Crookshanks.

"You shouldn't have done that, Marcus," Sirius said to him. "You should have left him to me..."

"Says a man who doesn't even have his own wand," retorted Michael, who was calmer than before, but still had a hint of anger on him. He bent down to Uncle Remus and untied him before making his way to the unconscious Snape.

"What are you doing, Dad?" asked Marcus.

"Giving Serverus an intracate Memory Charm," said Michael, his wand giving a familiar light.

Marcus then looked to Harry and said with a smirk, "Thanks for the assistance, Harry. We really put a number on Snape, huh?"

"I'm still not saying I believe you," retorted Harry, making Marcus's smirk vanish at once.

"Then it's time we offered you some proof," said Sirius. "You, boy - give me Peter. Now."

Ron clutched Pettigrew closer to his chest.

"Come off it," he said weakly. "Are you trying to say he broke out of Azkaban just to get his hands on _Scabbers_? I mean..." He looked up at Harry and Hermione for support. "Okay, say Pettigrew could turn into a rat - there are millions of rats - how's he supposed to know which one he's after if he was locked up in Azkaban?"

"You know, Sirius, that's a fair question," said Uncle Remus, turning to Sirius and frowning slightly. "How _did_ you find out where he was?"

Sirius put one of his clawlike hands inside his robes and took the cut of the _Daily Prophet_ article Marcus saw at the beginning of the school year.

"How did you get this?" Michael asked, sounding rather surprised.

"Fudge," said Sirius. "When he came to inspect Azkaban last year, he gave me his paper. And there was Peter, on the front page...on this boy's shoulder...I knew him at once...how many times had I seen him transform? And the caption said the boy would be going back to Hogwarts...to where Harry and Marcus were..."

"My God," said Uncle Remus softly, staring from Pettigrew to the picture in the paper and back again. "His front paw..."

"What about it?" said Ron defiantly.

"He's got a toe missing, Ron," said Marcus in a blatant tone.

"Of course," Lupin breathed. "So simple...so _brilliant_...he cut it off himself?"

"Just before he transformed," said Black. "When I cornered him, he yelled for the whole street to hear that I'd betrayed Lily and James. Then, before I could curse him, he blew apart the street with the wand behind his back, killed everyone within twenty feet of himself - and sped down into the sewer with the other rats..."

"Remember when you were telling me about the conversation Fudge and the others were having about Pettigrew in The Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade, Ron?" asked Marcus. "And how they said that the biggest bit of Pettigrew they could find was his finger?"

"Look, Scabbers probably had a fight with another rat or something! He's been in my family for ages, right -"

"Twelve years, in fact," said Uncle Remus. "Didn't you ever wonder why he was living for so long?"

"We - we've been taking good care of him!" said Ron.

"Not looking too good at the moment, though, is he?" said Michael in an even tone, who made his close to Ron. He looked at the rat and said. "My guess is that he's been losing weight ever since he heard Sirius was on the loose again..."

"He's been scared of that mad cat!" said Ron, nodding toward Crookshanks, who was still purring on the bed.

But Marcus knew for a fact that that wasn't true. Pettigrew was ill before he even met the cat, since Ron's return from Egypt and when Sirius escaped from Azkaban...

"This cat isn't mad," said Sirius hoarsely. He reached out a bony hand and stroked Crookshanks's fluffy head. "He's the most intelligent of his kind I've ever met. He recognized Peter for what he was right away. And when he met me, he knew I was no dog. It was a while before he trusted me...luckily for me, I primarily had Marcus for help."

Marcus then felt all eyes shift on him and he said, "This would be the part where I tell you guys everything, huh?"

"Start telling, son," said his father in a way that Marcus knew there would be no way he could back out.

"Okay, well, I'll start from the beginning of the year," said Marcus. "Out of curiosity from seeing something unusual on the first day of classes, I went out that night into the Forbidden Forest and eventually came across Sirius in his Animagus form. After a scuffle, I more or less heard the same story everyone else here has heard. And, after hearing what he had to say, somehow, some way, I knew he was telling the truth. So, I decided to help him clear his name by getting the rat."

He looked to Ron and continued, "I didn't know the rat's true nature until after I had Crookshanks attack the rat before Halloween -" he grimaced "- which was my fault, by the way, I'm really sorry." His face went back to normal and he went on, "When I took the rat up to the dormitory, I used my enhanced vision on it. It was able to show me his human form in the fashion of a sillouette. From that moment on, I tried to make the most of my opportunites to get my hands on Pettigrew."

Marcus's face formed a troubled look as he said, "I inadvertantly gave Sirius the information he needed to get into Hogwarts on Halloween night. Needless to say, I was angry at him, but not for getting into the castle. I knew he wouldn't harm anyone else. I was mad at him because I thought he didn't trust me. So, we agreed to form the next attempt at Pettigrew together."

He took a deep breath and said, "That night that Ron saw Sirius Black with a knife...that was me, too. I had Crookshanks deliver the plethora of passwords Neville had from Sir Cadagon to Sirius and we made the attempt in the middle of the night, when everyone was in bed. Once again, Ron, I am sorry. The reason why Sirius was at your beside and not Harry's was because his target was Pettigrew, your rat, who was hiding under your mattress. You waking up was not part of the plan, and neither was the knife. I knew that another attempt like that one would not come again, especially not since he escaped out to Hagrid's cabin."

He sighed and said, "I knew the only way to get at Pettigrew was to have my three best friends come across him while visiting Hagrid, which thanks to the security measures on Hogwarts, was earlier this evening. I told Harry I would warn Hagrid that the four of us would come down to be there for him when Buckbeak was getting executed, which obviously didn't happen. I met up with Sirius, told him the plan to get Pettigrew, and proceeded to have Crookshanks initiate the plan. The rest, you all know."

He then turned to Sirius and said, "Things would've been so much easier if he hadn't splattered blood on the sheets before bolting to Hagrid's."

"Well, I suppose he bit himself to make it work," Sirius reasoned. "Well, faking his own death had worked once..."

"And why did he fake his death?" Harry said in a sudden fury. "Because he knew you were about to kill him like you killed my parents!"

"No," said Uncle Remus. "Harry -"

"And now you've come to finish him off!"

"Yes, I have," said Sirius with an evil look at Pettigrew.

"Then I should've let Snape take you!" Harry shouted.

"Harry," said Uncle Remus hurriedly, "don't you see? We had it wrong all this time."

"Yes, Harry, think about it," Marcus pleaded. "All of us thought Sirius betrayed your parents, and Peter tracked him down. But, it was actually the other way around! Don't you see it, Harry? _Peter_ betrayed your mother and father - Sirius tracked _Peter_ down -"

"THAT'S NOT TRUE!" Harry yelled. "HE WAS THEIR SECRET-KEEPER! HE SAID SO BEFORE YOU TURNED UP. HE SAID HE KILLED THEM!"

Harry was pointing at Sirius, who shook his head slowly; the sunken eyes were suddenly overbright.

"Harry...I as good as killed them," he croaked. "I persuaded Lily and James to change to Peter at the last moment, persuaded them to use him as Secret-Keeper instead of me...I'm to blame, I know it...The night they died, I'd arranged to check on Peter, make sure he was still safe, but when I arrived at his hiding place, he'd gone. Yet there was no sign of a struggle. It didn't feel right. I was scared. I set out for your parents' house straightaway. And when I saw their house, destroyed, and their bodies...I realized what Peter must've done...what I'd done..."

"Enough of this," Marcus heard his father say, and it was in that terrifying tone he'd rarely heard before. "There's one certain way to prove what really happened. Ron, _give me that rat._ "

"Mr. Williams, what are you going to do with him if I give him to you?" Ron asked Michael tensely.

"Force him to show himself, of course," said Michael. "If he really is a rat, Ron, it won't hurt him. I promise."

Ron hesitated. Then at long last, he held out the rat and Marcus saw his father take him. Pettigrew began to squeak without stopping, twisting and turning, his tiny black yes bulging in his head.

Michael looked to Uncle Remus and Sirius and said, "Ready, dear friends?"

Sirius had already retrieved Snape's wand from the bed. He approached Michael and the struggling rat, and his wet eyes suddenly seemed to be burning in his face.

"Together?" he said quietly.

"I think so," said Uncle Remus, who had his wand ready. "On the count of three. One - two - THREE!"

A flash of blue-white light erupted from all three wands; for a moment, the rat was frozen in midair, his small gray form twisting madly - Ron yelled - the rat fell and hit the floor. There was another blinding flash of light and then -

It was by far one of the most bizarre sets of sequences Marcus had ever seen, and that was saying something. It was like watching watching a tree grow on super fast forward. A head was shooting upward from the ground; limbs were sprouting; a moment later, a man was standing where the rat had been, cringing and wringing his hands. Crookshanks was spitting and snarling on the bed; the hair on his back was standing up.

He was a very short man, hardly taller than Harry and Hermione and was exactly as tall as Marcus was. His thin, colorless hair was unkempt and there was a large bald patch on top. He had the shrunken appearance of a plump man who lost a lot of weight in a short time. His skin looked grubby, almost like the rat's fur, and something of the rat lingered around his pointed noise and his very small, watery eyes. He looked around at them all, his breathing fast and shallow. Marcus noticed that Pettigrew's eyes seemed to dart to the door and back again.

"Well, hello, Peter," said Uncle Remus pleasantly, as though rats frequently erupted into old school friends around him. "Long time, no see."

"S-Sirius...M-Michael...R-Remus..." Even the voice Pettigrew was using was squeaky. Again, his eyes fell on the door. "My friends...my old friends..."

Sirius's wand arm rose, but Uncle Remus seized him around the wrist and gave him a warning look. Marcus glanced at his father and felt absolutely terrified. He was eerily calm, like he was just waiting for his chance to strike, like a predator in tall grass.

Uncle Remus turned again to Pettigrew and said in a light and casual voice, "We've been having a little chat, Peter, about what happened the night Lily and James died. You might have missed the finer points while you were squeaking around down there on the bed -"

"Remus," gasped Pettigrew, and Marcus could see unusually big beads of sweat breaking out all over his pasty face. "you don't believe him, do you...? He tried to kill me, Remus..."

"So we've heard," said Uncle Remus, more coldly. "I'd like to clear up one or two little matters with you, Peter, if you'd be so -"

"He's come to try and kill me again!" Pettigrew squeaked suddenly, pointing at Sirius, and Marcus noticed that he was using his middle finger to do the pointing, as his index finger was not there. "He killed Lily and James and now he's going to kill me too... You've got to help me, Remus...Michael..."

Sirius's face looked more skull-like than ever as he stared at Pettigrew with his fathomless eyes.

Michael remained deadly silent as Uncle Remus said, "No one's going to try and kill you until we've sorted a few things out."

"Sorted things out?" squealed Pettigrew, looking wildly about him once more, eyes taking in the boarded windows and, again, the only door. "I knew he'd come after me! I knew he'd be back for me! I've been waiting for this for twelve years!"

"You knew Sirius was going to break out of Azkaban?" said Uncle Remus with furrowed brows. "When nobody has ever done it before?"

"He's got Dark powers the rest of us can only dream of!" Pettigrew shouted shrilly. "How else did he get out of there? I suppose He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named taught him a few tricks!"

Sirius started to laugh, a horrible, mirthless laugh that filled the whole room.

"Voldemort, teach me tricks?" he said.

Pettigrew flinched as though Sirius was about to punch him.

"What, scared to hear your old master's name?" said Sirius. "I don't blame you, Peter. His lot aren't very happy with you, are they?"

"Don't know what you mean, Sirius -" muttered Pettigrew, his breathing faster than ever. His whole face was shining with sweat now.

"You haven't been hiding from _me_ for twelve years," said Sirius. "You've been hiding from Voldemort's old supporters. I heard things in Azkaban, Peter... They all think you're dead, or you'd have to answer to them... I've heard them screaming all sorts of things in their sleep. Sounds like they think the double-crosser double-crossed them. Voldemort went to the Potters' on your information... and Voldemort met his downfall there. And not all Voldemort's supporters ended up in Azkaban, did they? There are still plenty out there, biding their time, pretending they've seen the error of their ways... If they ever got wind that you were still alive, Peter -"

"Don't know... what you're talking about...," said Pettigrew again, in a higher pitch of voice than before. He wiped his face on his sleeve and looked up at Uncle Remus and Michael and said, "Remus - Michael - Surely, you don't believe this - this madness -"

"I must admit, Peter, I have difficulty in understanding why an innocent man would want to spend twelve years as a rat," said Uncle Remus evenly.

"Innocent, but scared!" squealed Pettigrew. "If Voldemort's supporters were after me, it was because I put one of their best men in Azkaban - the spy, Sirius Black!"

Marcus made a guffaw of disbelief. His credibility was rapidly crumbling and everyone in the room knew it.

Sirius's face contorted.

"How dare you," he growled, suddenly sounding like the bear-sized dog he had been. "I, a spy for Voldemort? When did I ever sneak around people who were stronger and more powerful than myself? But you, Peter - I'll never understand why I didn't see you were the spy from the start. You always liked big friends who'd look after you, didn't you? It used to be us...me, Remus, and Michael...and James..."

Pettigrew wiped his face again; he was almost panting for breath.

"Me, a spy...must be out of your mind...never...don't know how you can say such a -"

"Lily and James only made you Secret-Keeper because I suggested it," Sirius hissed in such a venomous voice that even Marcus took a step away from him. "I thought it was the perfect plan...a bluff...Voldemort would be sure to come after me, would never dream they'd use a weak, talentless thing like you... It must have been the finest moment of your miserable life, telling Voldemort you could hand him the Potters."

Pettigrew was muttering distractedly; Marcus caught some words such as "far-fetched" and "lunacy," but he was paying more attention to the ashen color of Pettigrew's face and the way his eyes continued to dart toward the windows and door, all signs that indicated someone guilty trying to get out of the very lies they fabricated.

"Professor Lupin?" said Hermione timidly. "Can - can I say something?"

"Certainly, Hermione," said Uncle Remus courteously.

"Well - Scabbers - I mean, this - this man - he's been sleeping in Harry's dormitory for three years. If he's working for You-Know-Who, how come he never tried to hurt Harry before now?"

"There!" said Pettigrew shrilly, pointing at Ron with his maimed hand. "Thank you! You see, Remus? I have never hurt a hair of Harry's head! Why should I?"

"I'll tell you why," said Sirius. "Because you never did anything for anyone unless you could see what was in it for you. Voldemort's been in hiding for twelve years, they say he's half-dead. You weren't about to committ murder right under Dumbledore's nose, for a wreck of a wizard who'd lost all of his power, were you? You'd want to be quite sure he was the biggest bully in the playground before you went back to him, wouldn't you? Why else did you find a wizard family to take you in? Keeping an ear out for news, weren't you, Peter? Just in case your old protector regained strength, and it was safe to rejoin him..."

Pettigrew opened his mouth and closed it several times. He seemed to have lost the ability to talk.

"Er - Mr. Black - Sirius?" said Hermione.

Sirius jumped at being addressed like this and stared at Hermione as though being spoken to politely was something long forgotten.

"If you don't mind me asking, how - how did you get out of Azkaban, if you didn't use Dark Magic?"

"Thank you!" gasped Pettigrew, nodding frantically at her. "Exactly! Precisely what I -"

But Uncle Remus silenced him with a look. Sirius was frowning slightly at Hermione, but not as though he were annoyed with her. He seemed to be pondering his answer.

"I don't how exactly how I did it," he said slowly. "I think the only reason I never lost my mind is that I knew I was innocent. That wasn't a happy thought, so the dementors couldn't suck it out of me...but it kept me sane and knowing who I am...helped me keep my powers...so when it all becomes...too much...I could transform in my cell...become a dog. Dementors can't see, you know..." He swallowed. "They feel their way toward people by sensing their emotions...They could tell that my feelings were less - less human, less complex when I was a dog...but they thought, of course, that I was losing my mind like everyone else in there, so it didn't trouble them. But I was weak, very weak, and I had no hope of driving them away from me without a wand...

"But then I saw Peter in that picture...I realized he was at Hogwarts with Harry...and Marcus...perfectly positioned to act, if one hint reached his ears that the Dark Side was gathering strength again..."

Pettigrew was shaking his head, mouthing noiselessly, but staring all the while at Sirius as though he was hypnotized.

"...ready to strike at the moment he could be sure of allies...and to deliver the last Potter to them. If he gave them Harry, who'd dare say he'd betrayed Lord Voldemort? He'd be welcomed back with honors...

"So you see, I had to do something. I was the only one who knew Peter was still alive...

"It was as if someone had lit a fire in my head, and the dementors couldn't destroy it...It wasn't a happy feeling...it was an obsession...but it gave me strength, it cleared my mind. So, one night when they opened my door to bring food, I slipped past them as a dog...It's so much harder for them to sense animal emotions that they were confused... I was thin, very thin...thin enough to slip through the bars...I swam as a dog back to the mainland...I knew that, having learned that Michael and Brynn were back in the country, that Marcus must be attending Hogwarts alongside Harry. So, I journeyed north, slipped into the Hogwarts grounds as a dog and placed myself near the edge of the forest, hoping that he would see me with his enhanced vision inherited from his mother.

"I had hoped that, if he was anything like his father, that he would at least give me the chance to prove myself. But, to receive his help, despite himself going through the tasks of a Hogwarts student, is something for which I have no words to express my gratitude."

Marcus felt tears forming in his eyes. He took a few deep breaths to retain his bearing, to stay strong for just a little while longer.

"He even convinced me to watch Harry play Quidditch, for which I do not regret doing." He looked to Harry and said, "You fly as well as your father did, Harry..."

Marcus looked at Harry, who did not look away from Sirius.

"Believe me," croaked Sirius. "Believe me, Harry. I never betrayed James and Lily. I would have died before I betrayed them."

For a split second, Marcus didn't know what Harry was going to do, due to him not saying anything. Finally, at long last, he nodded, letting Sirius know that he believed him.

"No!"

Pettigrew had fallen to his knees as though Harry's nod had been his own death sentence. He shuffled forward on his knees, groveling, his hands clapsed in front of him as though praying.

"Sirius - it's me...it's Peter...your friend...you wouldn't..."

Sirius kicked out and Pettigrew recoiled.

"There's enough filth on my robes without you touching them," said Sirius.

"Remus!" Pettigrew squeaked, turning to Uncle Remus instead, writhing imploringly in front of him. "You don't believe this... Wouldn't Sirius have told you they'd changed the plan?"

"Not if he thought I was the spy, Peter," said Uncle Remus. "I assume that's why you didn't tell me, Sirius?" he said casually over Pettigrew's head.

"Forgive me, Remus," said Sirius.

"Not at all, Padfoot, old friend," said Uncle Remus, who was now rolling up his sleeves. "And will you, in turn, forgive me for believing _you_ were the spy?"

"Of course," said Sirius, and the ghost of a grin flitted across his gaunt face. He, too, began rolling up his sleeves. "Shall we kill him together?"

"Yes, I think so," said Uncle Remus grimly.

Marcus looked to his father, who had neither moved nor gave any expressions away. This both confused and terrified him. What exactly was his father waiting for?

"You wouldn't... you won't...," gasped Pettigrew. And he scrambled around to Ron.

"Ron...haven't I been a good friend...a good pet? You won't let them kill me, Ron, will you... you're on my side, aren't you?"

But Ron was staring at Pettigrew with the utmost revulsion.

"I let you sleep in my _bed_!" he said.

"Kind boy...kind master..." Pettigrew crawled toward Ron, "you won't let them do it...I was your rat... I was a good pet..."

"If you made a better rat than a human, it's not much to boast about, Peter," said Black harshly. Ron, still getting paler with pain, wrenched his broken leg out of Pettigrew's reach. Pettigrew turned on his knees, staggered forward, and seized the hem of Hermione's robes.

"Sweet girl... clever girl... you - you won't let them... Help me..."

Hermione pulled her robes out of Pettigrew's clutching hands and backed away against the wall, looking horrified.

Pettigrew knelt, trembling uncontrollably, and turned his head slowly toward Harry.

"Harry...Harry...you look just like your father...just like him..."

"HOW DARE YOU SPEAK TO HARRY?" roared Black. "HOW DARE YOU FACE HIM? HOW DARE YOU TALK ABOUT JAMES IN FRONT OF HIM?"

"Harry," whispered Pettigrew, shuffling toward him, hands outstretched. "Harry, James wouldn't have wanted me killed... James would have understood, Harry...he would have shown me mercy..."

Marcus took another glance at his father, who was the same as before. It then clicked: He was waiting for an outright confession from Pettigrew.

Both Sirius and Uncle Remus strode forward, seizing Pettigrew by the shoulders and throwing him backward onto the floor. Pettigrew squeaked and scrambled to Marcus.

"Marcus...fair, understanding Marcus... surely, you'll hear me out... won't -"

Marcus took his left armguard and swung it into Pettigrew's stomach as hard as he could. Anger fueled through every part of his body as he grabbed him by the throat, lifted him up into the air and, just as quickly, slammed Pettigrew into the floor.

Marcus then summoned his wand and pointed it at Pettigrew, touching the bottom of Pettigrew's jaw, just above the adam's apple, and growled, "Part of this year has been absolutely miserable thanks to your cowardice, so don't you dare look to me to get you out of the mess you made for yourself."

Pettigrew looked at Marcus, his face full of terror, terribly shaking all over.

"Now, I want the truth, and I want it NOW!" Marcus growled. "You sold Lily and James Potter over to Voldemort, didn't you?"

Pettigrew suddenly burst into tears. It was horrible, yet oddly satisfying to watch: He looked like an oversized, balding baby, cowering on the floor.

"Marcus, young Marcus, what could I have done? The Dark Lord...you have no idea...he has weapons you can't imagine...I was scared. I was never brave like your father, or Sirius, or Remus, or James. I never meant it to happen... He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named forced me -"

Suddenly, he saw the left hand of his father grabbing Pettigrew by the shirt and lifting him up into the air. One look at his father made Marcus's own anger vanish completely, replaced with terror.

The look on his father's face was a furious anger, the likes of which Marcus had never even seen. It was as if a ferocious and proud beast was suddenly unleashed from a cage.

"DON'T LIE!" Michael bellowed, his voice echoing through the tattered room. "YOU'D BEEN PASSING INFORMATION TO HIM FOR A YEAR BEFORE LILY AND JAMES DIED! YOU WERE HIS SPY!"

"He - he was taking over everywhere!" gasped Pettigrew. "W-what was there to be gained by refusing him?"

"What was there to be gained by fighting the most evil wizard who has ever existed?" said Sirius, his own terrible fury in his face. "Only innocent lives, Peter!"

"You don't understand!" whined Pettigrew. "He would have killed me, Sirius!"

"THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE DIED!" roared Michael. "DIED RATHER THAN BETRAY YOUR FRIENDS, AS WE WOULD HAVE DONE FOR YOU!"

Uncle Remus then stood by Michael's right, Sirius standing by Michael's left, all three adults having their wands raised.

"You should have realized,' said Uncle Remus quietly, "if Voldemort didn't kill you, we would."

"Good-bye, Peter," said Michael in such a way that Pettigrew's fate seemed inevitable.

Marcus could only watch as Pettigrew was going to die before his very eyes. He was determined before to see him dead, but now that the moment had arrived, he wasn't too sure.

All of a sudden, he heard someone shout out, "NO!" It then caught Marcus completely off guard to see Harry running forward, placing himself in front of Pettigrew. "You can't kill him," Harry said breathlessly. "You can't."

All three adults looked quite staggered.

"Harry, this piece of vermin is the reason you have no parents," Sirius snarled.

"You heard it yourself, Harry," Michael growled. "This cringing bit of filth would have seen you die too, without turning a hair. His own stinking skin meant more to him than your whole family."

"I know," Harry panted. "We'll take him up to the castle. We'll hand him over to the dementors...He can go to Azkaban...but don't kill him."

"Harry!" gasped Pettigrew, and he flung his arms around Harry's knees. "You - thank you - it's more than I deserve - thank you -"

"Get off me," Harry spat, throwing Pettigrew's hands off him in disgust. "I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing it because I don't reckon my dad would've wanted his best friends to become killers - just for you."

No one moved or made a sound except Pettigrew, whose breath was coming in wheezes as he clutched his chest. Sirius, Uncle Remus, and Michael all looked at each other. Then, with one movement, they lowered their wands.

"You're the only person who has the right to decide, Harry," said Sirius. "But think...think what he did..."

"He can go to Azkaban," Harry repeated. "If anyone deserves that place, he does..."

Pettigrew was still wheezing behind him.

"Very well," said Uncle Remus. He turned to Michael and said, "Michael, we need you to go up to the castle ahead of us."

"What?!" said Marcus's father. "I finally have my best friends' killer in my grasp, and you want him out of my sight?!"

"Michael, please listen," pleaded Uncle Remus. "Out of all of us here, you're the only person who is credible enough to secure Sirius's freedom with Pettigrew. Plus, you could contact and bring _her_ here to put Pettigrew in his place, should he try anything suspicious."

Marcus looked at Pettigrew, who suddenly squeaked in terror and began crying all over again.

Michael also looked at Pettigrew and said, "You have a point, Remus. And, as much as I don't want to, I'll leave Pettigrew with you and Sirius."

Michael then made his way to the door, but before he went through it, he looked to Marcus and said, "I have one more question before I leave for you, son."

"Oh?" said Marcus. "What is it?"

"How long have you been an Animagus?"

"Oh, right," said Marcus, a little worried by this question. He looked to Harry, Ron, and Hermione and said, "Guys, I've been an Animagus since the end of last year, when Harry and I went down into the Chambers of Secrets to confront Riddle. I really messed up. I should've told all of you together when I had the chance, and I didn't do that. I hope that the three of you can find it in yourselves to forgive me for everything I've done. But, if you can't, I'd more than understand."

Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at each other and Hermione said, "Marcus, of course we do. But, promise me, to us, that you won't keep any more secrets from us, okay?"

Marcus, surprised by this, gave a great, big smirk and said, "Okay."

Michael, a smile on his face, left for the castle and, when this happened, Uncle Remus looked to Harry and said, "Stand aside, Harry."

Uncle Remus must've saw Harry hesitate, due to him saying, "I'm going to tie him up. That's all, I swear."

Harry stepped out of the way. Thin cords shot from Uncle Remus's wand this time and, before Marcus knew it, Pettigrew was wriggling on the floor, bound and gagged.

"But if you transform, Peter," growled Sirius, his own wand pointing at Pettigrew too, "we _will_ kill you. You agree, Harry?"

Marcus saw Harry looking down at the sorry sight that was Pettigrew and nodded so that the wretch could see him.

"Right," said Uncle Remus, in a sudden business-like manner. "Ron, I can't mend bones nearly as well as Madam Pomfrey, so I think it's best if we just strap your leg up until we can get you to the hospital wing."

He hurried over to Ron, bent down, tapped Ron's leg with his wand, and muttered, " _Ferula_." Bangades spun up Ron's leg, strapping it tightly to a splint. Uncle Remus helped him to his feet; Ron put his weight gingerly on the leg and didn't wince.

"That's better," he said. "Thanks."

"What about Professor Snape?" said Hermione in a small voice, looking down at Snape's prone figure.

"There's nothing wrong with him," said Uncle Remus, being over Snape and checking his pulse. "You were just a little - overenthusiastic. Still out cold. Er - perhaps it will be best if we don't revive him until we're safely back in the castle. We can take him like this..."

He muttered, " _Mobilicorpus_." As though invisible strings were tied to Snape's wrists, neck, and knees, he was pulled into a standing position, head still lolling unpleasantly, reminding Marcus of a poorly made puppet of sorts. He hung a few inches above the ground, his limp feet dangling. Uncle Remus picked up the Invisibility Cloak and tucked it safely into his pocket.

"And two of us should be chained to this," said Sirius, nudging Pettigrew with his toe. "Just to make sure."

"I'll do it," said Uncle Remus.

"And me," said Ron savagely, limping forward.

Sirius conjured heavy manacles from thin air; soon Pettigrew was upright again, left arm chained to Uncle Remus's right, right arm to Ron's left. Ron looked to Marcus and said, "If I'd have known what you knew about him from the beginning, I would've done the same things you did, in case you still feel guilty."

Ron looked back on Pettigrew and Marcus noticed that Ron's view on Pettigrew seemed to be set. He seemed to have taken Scabber's true identity as a personal insult. As Marcus watched Crookshanks leaping lightly off the bed, leading the way out of the room with his bottlebrush tail held jaunrily high, he couldn't help but, despite everything working out so far, get a bad feeling in his stomach, like something was going to go horribly wrong...

 **And this concludes this chapter of HP: Freedom's Path! Please feel free to leave a review, as it always helps me become a better writer! Or, if you want to ask me any questions, please feel free to leave me a PM and, I promise, I will answer them to the best of my abilities. Until then, keep your eyes open for the next chapter of HP: Freedom's Path!**


	20. (20) An Unwanted Kiss

**Welcome, everyone, to the next chapter of HP: Freedom's Path! Oh, my goodness! It is now coming down to it! After all the chapters are posted for this book, the next book will be the fourth book, which I look extremely forward to posting online! I must admit to you all, out of all the books I've worked on/will be working on in the future, books four and seven are my most anticipated and I hope you have that same anticipation. Anyway, here is...**

 **Disclaimer: I own not a thing of HP, except for OC's.**

 **Now, here's...**

Chapter 20: An Unwanted Kiss

 **Enjoy, one and all!**

Marcus had been part of strange groups before, but even this was a new thing for him.

Crookshanks led the way down the stairs; Uncle Remus, Pettigrew, and Ron went next, looking like entrants in a six-legged race. Next came Snape, drifiting creepily along, his toes hitting each stair as they descended, held up by his own wand, which was being pointed at him by Sirius. Marcus, Harry, and Hermione brought up the rear.

Getting back into the tunnel was more difficult than when Marcus initially entered it. Uncle Remus, Pettigrew, and Ron had to turn sideways to manage it; Uncle Remus still had Pettigrew covered with his wand. Marcus could see them edging awkwardly along the tunnel in single file. Crookshanks was still in the lead. Marcus saw Harry coming to Sirius, who was still making Snape drift along ahead of them; he kept bumping his lolling head on the low ceiling. Marcus knew for a fact that Sirius was making no effort to prevent this.

"You know what this means?" Sirius said abruptly to Harry as they made their slow progress along the tunnel. "Turning Pettigrew in?"

"You're free," said Harry.

"Yes..." said Sirius. "But I'm also - I don't know if anyone ever told you - I'm your godfather. Marcus's as well."

"Yeah, I knew that," said Harry.

"Well...your parents appointed me your guardian," said Sirius stiffly. "If anything happened to them..."

Marcus perked his ears up at this. It sounded like he was going to -

"I'll understand, of course, if you want to stay with your aunt and uncle," Sirius continued. "But...well...think about it. Once my name's cleared...if you wanted a...a different home..."

"What - live with you?" Harry said, accidently cracking his head on a bit of rock protruding from the ceiling. "Leave the Dursleys?"

"Of course, I thought you wouldn't want to," said Sirius quickly. "I understand. I just thought I'd -"

"Are you insane?" said Harry, his voice easily as croaky as Sirius's. "Of course I want to leave the Dursleys! Have you got a house? When can I move in?"

Marcus saw Sirius's head turning sharply to face Harry; Snape's head was scraping the ceiling but Sirius didn't seem to care.

"You want to?" he said. "You mean it?"

"Yeah, I mean it!" said Harry.

As Sirius's gaunt ace broke into the first true smile Marcus had seen since meeting him for the first time in the Forbidden Forest, Marcus couldn't help but make a real smile himself. As he reflected on everything that happened over the school year, he was glad that the results far outweighed the hardships.

Harry then looked at Marcus and said, "I'm really glad you convinced me to hear you and Sirius out, Marcus. Thank you."

At once, Marcus's smile vanished, replaced with worry as he said, "I'm not really sure why you're thanking me, Harry. I did a lot of deceitful things this year, not to mention putting our friendship on the line."

"Perhaps, but everything's worked out for the better, hasn't it?" Harry told him. "You helped prove a man innocent, and I've gotten to reconnect with my godfather - well, at least a little bit."

" _Our_ godfather," Marcus said with a smirk.

"All I'm saying is that there's no harm done, Marcus," said Harry.

No one spoke again until they had reached the end of the tunnel. Crookshanks darted up first; he had evidently pressed his paw to the knot on the trunk, because Uncle Remus, Pettigrew, and Ron clambered upward without any sound of savaging branches.

Sirius saw Snape up through the hole, then stood back for Marcus, Harry, and Hermione to pass. At last, all of them were out.

The grounds very were dark now; the only light that could be seen came from the distant windows of the castle. Without a word, they set off. Pettigrew was still wheezing and occasionally whimpering. Marcus found himself a little on edge. He didn't know why he felt this way, but he felt things things were going a little too smoothly. Normally, anything he took part in had at least a few bumps in the road.

"One wrong move, Peter," said Uncle Remus threateningly ahead. His wand was still pointed sideways at Pettigrew's chest.

Silently they tramped through the grounds, the castle lights growing slightly larger. Snape was still drifting weirdly ahead of Sirius, his chin bumping on his chest. And then -

Marcus saw the "bump": A cloud shifting, sudden dim shadows on the ground, casting the part in moonlight.

Immediately, Marcus enhanced his vision, looked at his uncle, and confirmed his worst fears: His uncle's aura was changing. What was a sky blue aura was suddenly changing to black.

"Hermione, stay back!" said Marcus upon seeing the rigidity of his uncle, his limbs beginning to shake.

"Marcus, what -" Hermione gasped, "Oh, my - He didn't take his potion tonight! He's not safe!"

"Run," Sirius whispered. "Run. Now."

But Marcus couldn't run, not with Ron and Pettigrew still being chained to Uncle Remus. He went for his Uncle, to try and separate the chain, but Sirius stopped him.

"Marcus, keep your friends safe," Sirius said in a hurry. "Leave Remus to me - now RUN!"

There was a terrible snarling noise. As Marcus returned his vision to normal, he saw Uncle Remus's head lengthening. So was his body. His shoulders were hunching. Hair was sprouting visibly on his face and hands, which were curling into clawed paws. Crookshanks's hair was on end again; he was backing away -

As the werewolf reared, snapping its long jaws, Sirius disappeard from Marcus's and Harry's sides. He had shifted into his Animagus form. He bounded forward as the enormous, bearlike dog. As the werewolf wrenched itself free of the manacle binding it, the dog seized it about the neck and pulled it backward, away from Ron and Pettigrew. They were locked, jaw to jaw, claws ripping at each other -

Marcus watched the brawl for all of two seconds before he noticed Pettigrew making a move and Hermione screaming.

Pettigrew dove for Uncle Remus's dropped wand. Ron, unsteady on his bandaged leg, fell. There was a bang, a burst of light - and Ron lay motionless on the ground. Another bang - Crookshanks flew into the air and back to the earth in a heap.

 _"Expelliarmus!_ " Marcus yelled, pointing his own wand at Pettigrew; Uncle Remus's wand flew high into the air and out of sight. "Stay where you are!" Harry shouted, running forward.

It was too late, however. Pettigrew had transformed on Harry. As Marcus saw his bald tail whip through the manacle on Ron's outstretched arm, Marcus said, "Oh, no, you don't, you traitor!"

He was going to shift into Leo and chase after him using his Negative vision, but he didn't take two steps when he heard Hermione scream, "Marcus!"

Marcus looked and saw Sirius on the ground, bleeding; there were gashes across and back.

"Sirius, Pettigrew's gone!" Marcus told him. "Hurry on ahead! I'll hold him off!"

At Marcus's words, he scrambled up again, and in an instant, the sound of his paws faded to silence as he pounded away across the grounds.

Marcus then looked upon the werewolf that was his Uncle Remus. He looked ready to attack him. He knew what he had to do, but he couldn't bring himself to attack his uncle.

The werewolf raised his left claw hand to attack, but froze upon hearing a loud and thunderous roar. Marcus recognized this all too familiar roar. He turned his head to the left -

Out of nowhere, an enormous, hairy beast tackled the werewolf. It took Marcus's breath for a minute, watching the beast and the werewolf go at each other. However, the beast quickly gained the upper hand, even going as far as biting into the side of the werewolf and tossing him through the air.

Upon landing, the werewolf quickly whined and sprinted for the forest.

Marcus tried to get the look of the beast, but the beast took off toward the forest just as quickly.

Still -

"That looked oddly familiar," said Marcus. "What could it be?"

Then Marcus heard Hermione call out, "Marcus, come here!"

Marcus hurried on over to Hermione and Harry, who were bent over Ron.

"What did he do to him?" Hermione whispered. Ron's eyes were only half-closed, his mouth hung open; he was definitely alive, they could hear him breathing, but he didn't seem to recognize them.

"I don't know..."

Marcus looked around them. With Sirius and Uncle Remus now gone, they had no one else but Snape for company, still hanging, unconscious, in midair.

"We'd better get them up to the castle and tell someone," said Harry, pushing his hair out of his eyes. "Come -"

Just then, Marcus heard a yelping, a whining; a dog in pain.

Marcus looked at Harry and said, "Sirius..."

Knowing they could do nothing for Ron, Marcus enhanced his vision and said, "Come on!"

He took off in a sprint going in the direction of Sirius's aura, which was getting weaker by the second. As Marcus could surmise, the yelping and aura seemed to be coming from near the lake. Marcus pelted toward it, feeling a sort of deadly cold, too fixated on finding Sirius to realize what it must've meant.

The yelping stopped suddenly. As they reached the lakeshore, they saw why - Sirius had turned back into a man. He was crouched on all fours, his hands over his head.

" _Nooo_ ," he moaned. _"Nooo...please..."_

Marcus looked up and felt even colder all over.

Dementors had arrived. Not just one or two, but tens, if not hundreds, of them, gliding in a black mass around the lake toward them.

"Quick, they're here!" Marcus shouted, pointing toward the Dementors.

Marcus suddenly had a weird feeling of deja vu, but quickly forgot it when he felt that same icy cold penetrating his insides, his vision was getting quite blurry. Marcus could see, however, that the Dementors were encircling them...

"Hermione, think of something happy!" Harry yelled.

Marcus put every bit of his mental focus on thinking about Lorelei.

" _Expecto Patronum! Expecto Patronum!"_

Sirius gave a shudder, rolled over, and lay motionless on the ground, pale as death.

"No," breathed Marcus before trying to focus again on Lorelei.

 _"Expecto Patronum! Expecto Patronum!"_

He couldn't lose to the Dementors. Not here, not now. He had to try harder, he had to succeed.

" _EXPECTO PATRONUM!"_ Marcus yelled. _"EXPECTO PATRONUM!"_

Finally, a thin wisp of silver left his wand, hovering like mist before him, but it wasn't enough. Marcus needed it to be stronger.

 _"Lorelei - just you wait...I'll clear Sirius's name...and Harry...will get to live...with him..."_

Just then, a Dementor came forward, stopping short of the silver veil. With one motion, the Dementor obliterated it.

 _"NO!"_ thought Marcus. _"I can't fall - not here!"_

He could then hear the voices from his fifth birthday. Orielle, the Dark Prince, even his mother and father, all swimming in his head.

All of a sudden, he was grabbed by the throat by the same Dementor that swiped away this rather weak Patronus Charm and his eyes activated on their own. The physical and emotional pain he was feeling was too much. But, that was nothing compared to when he saw the Dementor lowering his hood.

He saw the horrible, sucker-like mouth. It was like looking through a bottomless pit, with no end in sight.

 _"No,"_ thought Marcus, too weak to defend himself. _"I can't - Lorelei...I'm sorry..."_

The Dementor's mouth was about an inch away from latching onto Marcus's lips when it happened.

The Dementor got blindsided by a dazzling silverly light, so bright that it blinded Marcus. He could see nothing but that bright light.

He could hear, however, that the Dementors were getting driven away by something. The rattling, sucking sounds they made were fading away. They were leaving...the air was warm again.

By the time he could see much of anything, he felt like he was going to pass out. With his remaining amount of willpower and strength, he looked to see something familiar...

"No..." he croaked. "It can't be..."

With that, he felt his strength leave him. His vision went black and he couldn't remember anything more...

 **And this concludes this chapter of HP: Freedom's Path! Again, my apologies for the short chapter, but I should be making up for it with the next chapter. Anyway, please feel free to leave a review, letting me know what you think so far. Also, if you want to ask me a question, feel free to leave me a PM and, I promise, I will answer them to the best of my abilities. Until then, keep your eyes open for the next chapter of HP: Freedom's Path!**


	21. (21) Freedom's Path

**Welcome, everyone, to the next chapter of HP: Freedom's Path! This is unbelievable, it truly is. After this, there is only one more chapter remaining until the completion of the third book! It seemed like yesterday that I thought this fanfic series up and now it's already closing in on the third book. Granted, I have a ways to go before the series is actually completed, but it's still quite the accomplishment, especially considering how easily I can get sidetracked. But, enough about that!**

 **Disclaimer: No surprises here, no ownership of HP save for OC's.**

 **Now, here is...**

Chapter 21: Freedom's Path

 **Enjoy, one and all!**

"Shocking business...shocking...miracle none of them died...never heard the like...by thunder, it was lucky you were there, Snape..."

"Thank you, Minister."

"Order of Merlin, Second Class, I'd say. First Class, if I can wangle it!"

"Thank you very much indeed, Minister."

"Nasty cut you've got there...Black's work, I suppose?"

"As a matter of fact, it was Potter, Williams, Weasley, and Granger, Minister..."

 _"No!"_

"Black had bewitched them, I saw it immediately. A Confundus Charm, to judge by their behavior. They seemed to think there was a possibility he was innocent. They weren't responsible for their actions. On the other hand, their interference might have permitted Black to escape...They obviously thought they were going to catch Black single-handed. They've got away with a great deal before now...I'm afraid it's given them a rather high opinion of themselves...and of course, Potter and Willams has always been allowed an extraordinary amount of license by the headmaster -"

"Ah, well, Snape...Harry Potter and Marcus Williams, you know...we've all got a bit of a blind spot where they're concerned."

"And yet - is it good for them to be given so much special treatment? Personally, I try and treat them like any other student. And any other student would be suspended - at the very least - for leading their friends into such danger. Consider, Minister - against all school rules - after all the precautions put in place for their protection - out-of-bounds, at night, consorting with a werewolf and a murderer - and I have reason to believe they have been visiting Hogsmeade illegally too -"

"Well, well...we shall see, Snape, we shall see...The boys have undoubtedly been foolish..."

Marcus had his back facing away from them, listening to every word they were saying. He had regained consciousness shortly before he heard the two of them conversing with each other. He felt mad, more so than his usual anger, but he knew he couldn't act, not without Pettigrew.

"What amazes me most is the behavior of the dementors...you've really no idea what made them retreat, Snape?"

"No, Minister...by the time I had come 'round they were heading back to their positions at the entrances..."

"Extraordinary. And yet Black, and Harry, and Marcus, and the girl -"

"All unconscious by the time I reached them. I bound and gagged Black, naturally, conjured stretchers, and brought them all straight back to the castle."

Marcus had enough. He sat up in his bed in the Hospital Wing and looked around.

He could see Ron being worked on by Madam Pomfrey and, in the bed to the right, lay Hermione. Moonlight was falling across her bed. Her eyes were open, as well. She looked petrified, and when she saw that Harry and Marcus were awake, pressed a finger to her lips, then pointed to the Hospital wing door, which was ajar, the voices of Cornelius Fudge and Snape seeping through it.

Madam Pomfrey then came walking briskly up the dark ward to Harry and Marcus's beds, which were right next to each other. Marcus looked at her and saw her carrying what Marcus believed to be the largest slab of chocolate he'd ever seen. It more resembled a boulder than anything else.

"Ah, both of you are awake!" she said briskly. She placed the chocolate on their bedside table and began breaking it apart with a small hammer.

"How's Ron?" said Marcus, Harry, and Hermione at the same time.

"He'll live," said Madam Pomfrey grimly. "As for you three...you'll be staying here until I'm satisfied you're - Potter, Williams, what do you think you're doing?"

Marcus sat, not wanting to lay down on the bed anymore.

"I need to see the headmaster," Marcus heard Harry say.

"Potter,"said Madam Pomfrey soothingly, "it's all right. They've got Black. He's locked away upstairs. The dementors will be performing the Kiss any moment now -"

"WHAT?!"

Marcus hurried out of bed, terrified for his godfather, but still keeping the same composure as before. Harry and Hermione, obviously expressing theirs, had done the same. But Harry's shouts had been heard in the corridor outside; next second, Cornelius Fudge and Snape had entered the ward.

"Harry, Marcus, what's this?" said Fudge, looking agitated. "You should be in bed - have they received any chocolate?" he asked Madam Pomfrey anxiously.

"Minister, listen!" Harry said. "Sirius Black's innocent! Peter Pettigrew faked his own death! We saw him tonight! You can't let the dementors do that thing to Sirius, he's -"

Just as Marcus thought, Fudge was shaking his head with a small smile on his face.

"Harry, Harry, you're very confused, you've been through a dreadful ordeal, lie back down, now, we've got everything under control..."

"YOU HAVEN'T!" Harry yelled. "YOU'VE GOT THE WRONG MAN!"

"Minister, listen, please," Hermione said; she had hurried to Harry and Marcus's sides and was gazing imploringly into Fudge's face. "I saw him too. It was Ron's rat, he's an Animagus, Pettigrew, I mean, and -"

"You see, Minister?" said Snape. "Confunded, both of them...Black's done a very good job on them..."

"WE'RE NOT CONFUNDED!" Harry roared.

"Mr. Fudge, why are you here, if you don't mind me asking," asked Marcus in a casual tone, trying to maintain his cover. "I was under the impression that my father was handling the task of Black."

"Your father called me here after informing me of his capture, if you must know," said Fudge irritably. "At the moment, he's waiting in the entrance hall for you mother to arrive, to ensure Black doesn't escape us again."

"Understood," said Marcus.

"Minister, Professor," said Madam Pomfrey irritably. "I must insist that you leave. Potter and Williams are my patients, and they should not be distressed!"

"We're not distressed, I'm trying to tell them what happened!" Harry said furiously. "If they'd just listen -"

But Madam Pomfrey suddenly stuffed a large chunk of chocolate into Harry's mouth. She tried to do the same with Marcus, but he intercepted his chunk of chocolate and irritably said, "I'll have it later."

"Now, _please_ , Minister, these children need care. Please leave -"

The door opened again. It was Dumbledore. Marcus quickly set aside his slab of chocolate and gave Dumbledore his undivided attention.

"Professor Dumbledore, Sirius Black -" Harry began to say.

"For heaven's sake!" said Madam Pomfrey hysterically. Is this a hospital wing or not? Headmaster, I must insist -"

"My apologies, Poppy, but I need a word with Mr. Potter, Mr. Williams, and Ms. Granger," said Dumbledore calmly. "I have just been talking to Sirius Black -"

I suppose he's told you the same fairy tale he's planted in Potter's mind?" spat Snape. "Something about a rat, and Pettigrew being alive -"

"That, indeed, is Black's story," said Dumbledore, surveying Snape closely through his half-moon spectacles.

"And does my evidence count for nothing?" snarled Snape. "Peter Pettigrew was not in the Shrieking Shack, nor did I see any sign of him on the grounds."

"That was because you were knocked out, Professor!" said Hermione earnestly. "You didn't arrive in time to hear -"

"Miss Granger, HOLD YOUR TONGUE!"

"Now, Snape," said Fudge, startled. "the young lady is disturbed in her mind, we must make allowances -"

 _"The only one that's disturbed in their mind is the greaseball of a tryant,"_ thought Marcus.

Suddenly, Snape looked at him, the look in his eyes were those of a murderer.

"I would like to speak to Harry, Marcus, and Hermione alone," said Dumbledore abruptly. "Cornelius, Severus, Poppy - please leave us."

"Headmaster!" sputtered Madam Pomfrey. "They need treatment, they need rest -"

"This cannot wait," said Dumbledore. "I must insist."

Madam Pomfrey pursed her lips and strode away into her office at the end of the ward, slamming the door behind her. Fudge consulted the large gold pocket watch dangling from his waistcoat.

"Mrs. Williams should've arrived by now, as should have the dementors," he said. "I'll go and meet them. Dumbledore, I'll see you upstairs."

He crossed to the door and held it open for Snape, but Snape hadn't moved.

"You surely dont believe a word of Black's story?" Snape whispered, his eyes fixed on Dumbledore's face.

"I wish to speak with Harry, Marcus, and Hermione alone," Dumbledore repeated.

Snape took a step towards Dumbledore.

"Sirius Black showed he was capable of murder at the age of sixteen," he breathed. "You haven't forgotten that, Headmaster? You haven't forgotten that he once tried to kill _me_?"

"My memory is as good as it ever was, Severus," said Dumbledore quietly.

 _"Yeah, boo hoo,_ " thought Marcus. _"Cry me a river, big baby."_

Snape then shot him another murderous look before turning on his heel and marched through the door Fudge was still holding. It closed behind them, and Dumbledore turned to Marcus, Harry, and Hermione. Both Harry and Hermione burst into speech at the same time."

"Professor, Black's telling the truth - we _saw_ Pettigrew -"

"-he escaped when Professor Lupin turned into a werewolf -"

"-he's a rat -"

"-Pettigrew's front paw, I mean, finger, he cut it off -"

"-Pettigrew attacked Ron, it wasn't Sirius -"

But Dumbledore held up his hand to stem the flood of explanations.

"It is your turn to listen, and I beg you will not interrupt me, because there is very little time," he said quietly. "There is not a shred of proof to support Black's story, except your word - and the word of three thirteen-year-old wizards will not convince anybody. A street full of eyewitnesses swore they saw Sirius murder Pettigrew. I myself gave evidence to the Ministry that Sirius had been the Potters' Secret-Keeper."

"Professor Lupin can tell you -" Harry began.

"Professor Lupin is currently deep in the forest, unable to tell anyone anything. By the time he is human again, it will be too late, Sirius will be worse than dead. I might add that werewolves are so mistrusted by most of our kind that his support will count for very little - and the fact that he and Sirius are old friends -"

"But -"

" _Listen to me, Harry._ It is too late, you understand me? You must see that Professor Snape's version of events is far more convincing than yours."

"He hates Sirius," Hermione said desperately. "All because of some stupid trick Sirius played on him -"

"Sirius has not acted like an innocent man. The attack on the Fat Lady - entering Gryffindor Tower with a knife - without Pettigrew, alive or dead, we have no chance of overturning Sirius's sentence."

 _"But you believe us."_

"Yes, I do," said Dumbledore quietly. "But I have no power to make other men see the truth, or to overrule the Minister of Magic..."

Marcus knew they were up the creek the moment Pettigrew escaped from their grasps. As Dumbledore plainly put it, there was nothing a bunch of thirteen year old magic folk in training could do to stop the horrendous fate on his godfather's life, and the thought ate away at Marcus.

"What we need," said Dumbledore slowly, and his light blue eyes moved from Harry to Hermione, "is more _time_."

"But -" Hermione began. And then her eyes became very round. "OH!"

Marcus suddenly realized what Dumbledore was talking about and his eyes widened from thinking about it. He had completely forgotten about that...

"Now, pay attention," said Dumbledore, speaking very low, and very clearly. "Sirius is locked in Professor Flitwick's office on the seventh floor. Thirteenth window from the right of the West Tower. If all goes well, you will be able to save more than one innocent life tonight. But, remember this, all three of you: _You must not be seen_. Miss Granger, you know the law - you know what is at stake... _You_ \- _must_ \- _not_ \- _be_ \- _seen_."

It was like a fire was lit from within Marcus. He was more than ready to get this started.

"I am going to lock you in. It is -" he consulted his watch, "five minutes to midnight. Miss Granger, three turns should do it. Good luck."

"Good luck?" Harry repeated as the door closed behind Dumbledore. "Three turns? What's he talking about? What are we supposed to do?"

Marcus, however, turned to Hermione and said, "Hurry with that Time-Turner!"

As Hermione was fumbling with the neck of her robes, pulling from them a very long, very fine gold chain, she looked at Marcus with a shocked look on her face and said, "How did you -"

"Later!" Marcus said through gritted teeth. "Harry, come here, quickly!"

Harry moved toward them, completely bewildered.

"Here -"

Hermione had thrown the chain around Harry and Marcus's necks.

"Ready?" she said breathlessly.

"As ready as I'll ever be," said Marcus.

"What are we doing?" asked Harry, sounding completely lost.

Hermione turned the hourglass over three times.

The dark ward dissolved. Marcus felt like he was flying really fast backwards. A blur of colors and shapes rushed past him, his ears were pounding, he was focusing on not letting all these sounds get to him, but -

And then he felt solid ground beneath his feet, and everything came into focus again -

He was standing next to Harry and Hermione in the deserted entrance hall and a stream of golden sunlight was falling across the paved floor from the open front doors. He looked around him, making sure the entrance hall was still deserted.

"Hermione, what - ?"

"In here!" Hermione seized Marcus's and Harry's arms and dragged them across the hall to the door of a broom closet; she opened it, pushed him inside among the buckets and mops, then slammed the door behind them.

"What - how - Hermione, what happened?" Harry asked.

"We've gone back in time," Hermione whispered, lifting the chain off Marcus's and Harry's necks in the darkness. "Three hours back..."

"But -"

"Shh! Listen!" Marcus hissed as he pressed his ear against the door. "Someone's coming! I think - I think it might be you two and Ron!"

Hermione pressed her ear against the door with Marcus.

"Footsteps across the hall...yes, I think it's us going down to Hagrid's!"

"Are you telling me," Harry whispered, "that we're here in this cupboard and we're out there too?"

"Yes, Harry," said Marcus, his ear still pressed against the door. "I'm sure it's you two and Ron. It doesn't sound like more than three people...and the footsteps are slow, so you three are under the Invisibility Cloak -"

Marcus broke off, still listening intently.

"All right, you guys went down the front steps..."

Hermione then sat down on an upturned bucket, looking desperately anxious.

"Where did you _get_ that hourglass thing?" Harry asked.

"It's called a Time-Turner," Hermione whispered, "and I got it from Professor McGonagall on our first day back. I've been using it all year to get to all my lessons. Professor McGonagall made me swear I wouldn't tell anyone. She had to write all sorts of letters to the Ministry of Magic so I could have one. She had to tell them that I was a model student, and that I'd never, ever use it for anything except my studies...I've been turning it back so I could do hours over again, that's how I've been doing several lessons at once, see? But...

"Guys, _I don't understand what Dumbledore wants us to do._ Why did he tell us to go back three hours? How's that going to help Sirius?"

"There must be something that happened around now he wants us to change," Harry said slowly. "What happened? We were walking down to Hagrid's three hours ago..."

"This _is_ three hours ago, and we _are_ walking down to Hagrid's," said Hermione. "We just heard ourselves leaving..."

"Okay, quiet for a minute before you give me a chronal-headache," said Marcus, who was trying to put the pieces together. It then clicked.

"Wait a minute... 'save more than one life'..." Marcus muttered. "Who else got it...or what else..." he then gasped. "Harry, Hermione, we're going to save Buckbeak!"

"But - how will that help Sirius?" asked Hermione.

"Dumbledore said that Sirius was locked in Professor Flitwicks's office, thirteenth window from the right of the west tower," Marcus explained. "To get there, we would need to fly and Buckbeak can fly! So, we take Buckbeak up to that window -"

"- so that Sirius can escape on Buckbeak!" Harry finished.

"They can escape together!" Marcus and Harry said simultaneously.

They looked at Hermione, who looked absolutely terrified.

"If we manage that without being seen, it'll be a miracle!"

"Well, we've got to try, haven't we?" said Harry.

"Besides, I wont' have any problems with this, I'll just use my Disillusionment Charm," said Marcus, who was pressing his ear up against the door once more to check and see if anyone was there. "No signs of people in the entrance hall..."

He then rendered himself invisible and said, "Come on, let's go..."

Marcus pushed open the closet door. The entrance hall was deserted. As quietly and quickly as they could, they darted out of the closet and down the stone steps. The shadows were already lengthening, the tops of the trees in the Forbidden Forest gilded once more with gold.

"If anyone's looking out of the window -" Hermione squeaked, looking up at the castle behind them.

"We'll run for it," said Harry determinedly. "Straight into the forest, all right? We'll have to hide behind a tree or something and keep a lookout -"

"That's fine, but we'll need to go around by the greenhouses," told Marcus. "We need to keep out of sight of Hagrid's front door, or you'll be seen by both yourselves and my past self! You two and Ron must be nearly at Hagrid's by now!"

Harry then set off at a sprint, Marcus running beside him and Hermione behind them. They tore across the vegetable gardens to the greenhouses, paused for a moment behind them, then set off again, fast as they could, skirting around the Whomping Willow, tearing toward the shelter of the forest.

Safe in the shadows of the trees, Marcus turned around; seconds later, Hermione arrived beside them, panting.

"Okay," said Marcus, who rendered himself visible. "We need to sneak over to Hagrid's...follow me and keep out of sight, both of you!"

They made their way silent through the trees, keeping to the very edge of the forest. Then, as they glimpsed the front of Hagrid's house, they heard a knock upon his door. They moved quickly behind a wide oak trunk and peered out from either side. Hagrid had appeared in his doorway, shaking and white, looking around to see who had knocked. And Marcus heard Harry's voice.

"It's us. We're wearing the Invisibility Cloak. Let us in and we can take it off."

"Yeh shouldn've come!" Hagrid whispered. He stood back, then shut the door quickly.

"This is the weirdest thing we've ever done," Harry said fervently.

"I second that statement," said Marcus, who felt a slight headache creeping in his head.

"Let's move along a bit," Hermione whispered. "We need to get nearer to Buckbeak!"

They crept through the trees until they saw the nervous hippogriff, tethered to the fence around Hagrid's pumpkin patch.

"Now?" Harry whispered.

"No!" said Hermione. "If we steal him now, those Committee people will think Hagrid set him free! We've got to wait until they've seen he's tied outside!"

"That's going to give us about sixty seconds," said Harry.

"In that case, I'll do it," said Marcus. "I'm sure I can get him untied in half of that time."

At that moment, there was a crash of breaking china from inside Hagrid's cabin.

"That's Hagrid breaking the milk jug," Hermione whispered. "I'm going to find Scabbers in a moment -"

Sure enough, a few minutes later, they heard Hermione's shriek of surprise.

"Hermione," said Harry suddenly, "what if we - we just run in there and grab Pettigrew -"

"No!" said Hermione in a terrified whisper. "Don't you understand? We're breaking one of the most important Wizarding laws! Nobody's supposed to change time, nobody! You heard Dumbledore, if we're seen -"

"We'd only be seen by ourselves and Hagrid!"

"Harry, think about for a second," Marcus said. "What would you do if you happened to see yourself bursting into Hagrid's house?"

"I'd - I'd think I'd gone mad," said Harry, "or I'd think there was some Dark Magic going on -"

" _Exactly!_ ", Hermione said. "You wouldn't understand, you might even attack yourself! Don't you see? Professor McGonagall told me what awful things have happened when wizards have meddled with time... Loads of them ended up killing their past of future selves by mistake!"

Marcus grimaced at the thought and said, "Yeah, let's not do anything that rash, okay?"

"Okay!" said Harry. "It was just an idea, I just thought -"

But Hermione nudged the both of them and pointed toward the castle. Marcus moved a bit to get a clear view of the distant front doors. Dumbledore, his father, the old Committee member, and Macnair the executioner were coming down the steps.

"We're about to come out!" Hermione breathed.

And sure enough, moments later, Hagrid's back door opened, and Marcus saw Harry, Ron, and Hermione walking out of it with Hagrid. It was, to say the least, the strangest sensation he'd ever felt, knowing Harry and Hermione were right beside him and seeing them in the pumpkin patch.

"It's okay, Beaky, it's okay...," Hagrid said to Buckbeak. Then he turned to Harry, Ron, and Hermione. "Go on. Get goin'."

"Hagrid, we can't -"

"We'll tell them what really happened -"

"They can't kill him -"

"Go! It's bad enough without you lot in trouble an' all!"

Marcus watched the Hermione in the pumpkin patch throw the Invisibility Cloak over the three of them, causing Marcus to enhance his vision in order to see them.

"Go quick. Don' listen..."

There was a knock on Hagrid's front door. The execution party had arrived. Hagrid turned around and headed back into his cabin, leaving the back door ajar. Marcus saw the past version of his three best friends moving all around the cabin and retreating back up to the castle. As they left, Marcus turned his attention back to Hagrid's cabin, where he could hear the voices coming from inside the cabin out through the open back door.

"Where is the beast?" came the cold voice of Macnair.

"Out - outside," Hagrid croaked.

Marcus made sure to make himself hidden as Macnair's face appeared at Hagrid's window, staring out at Buckbeak. Then he heard his dad.

"We have to read you the official notice of execution, Hagrid. Don't worry, I'll make it quick. And then you and Macnair need to sign it. Macnair, you're supposed to listen too, that's procedure -"

Macnair's face vanished from the window. It was now or never.

"It's showtime," Marcus whispered to Harry and Hermione. "I'll be back."

As his father started talking again, Marcus darted out from behind the tree, vaulted the fence into the pumpkin patch, and approached Buckbeak.

 _"It is the decision of the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures that the hippogriff Buckbeak, hereafter called the condemned, shall be executed on the sixth of June at sundown -"_

Still retaining his enhanced vision, Marcus started into the fierce orange eyes of Buckbeak's and bowed. Buckbeak instantly sank to his scaly knees and then stood up again. Marcus immediately went to work untying the knot tying Buckbeak to the fence.

 _"...sentenced to execution by beheading, to be carried out by the Committee's appointed executioner, Walden Macnair..."_

"Start moving, Buckbeak," Marcus muttered, "Listen to my instructions, and I'll ensure that you live. That's it, quietly now..."

 _"...as witnessed below._ Hagrid, go ahead and sign here..."

Marcus started to take Buckbeak by the rope, but Buckbeak had dug in his front feet.

"Well, let's get this over with," said the reedy voice of the Committee member from inside Hagrid's cabin. "Hagrid, perhaps it will be better if you stay inside -"

"No, I - I wan' ter be with him...I don' wan' him ter be alone -"

Marcus heard the footseps echoing from within the cabin.

 _"Buckbeak, now!"_ Marcus said.

This time, Buckbeak started to walk, though it was rustling its wings irritably. They were still ten feet away from the forest, in plain view of Hagrid's back door.

"One moment, please, Macnair," came Dumbledore's voice. "You need to sign too." The footsteps stopped, galvanizing Marcus to make Buckbeak move faster.

Hermione's white face was sticking out from behind a tree.

"Marcus, hurry!" she mouthed.

Marcus could still hear Dumbledore's voice talking from within the cabin. He gave the rope another mighty tug. Buckbeak broke into a grudging trot. They had reached the trees...

"Quick! Quick!" Hermione moaned, darting out from behind her tree, seizing the rope too and adding her weight to make Buckbeak move faster. Marcus looked over his shoulder; the were finally blocked from sight; they couldn't see Hagrid's garden at all.

"Stop!" Marcus whispered to Hermione. "They might here us -"

Hagrid's back door had opened with a bang. Marcus, Harry, Hermione, and Buckbeak stood quite still; even the hippogriff seemed to be listening intently.

Silence...then -

"Where is it?" said the reedy voice of the Committee member. "Where is the beast?"

"It was tied here!" said the executioner furiously. "I saw it! Just here!"

"How extraordinary," said Dumbledore. There was a note of amusement in his voice.

"Beaky!" said Hagrid huskily.

There was a swishing noise, and the thud of an axe. The executioner seemed to have swung it into the fence in anger. And then came the howling, and this time they could hear Hagrid's words through his sobs.

"Gone! Gone! Bless his little beak, he's _gone_! Musta pulled himself free! Beaky, yeh clever boy!"

Buckbeak started to strain against the rope, trying to get back to Hagrid. Marcus, Harry, and Hermione tightened their grip and dug their heels into the forest floor to stop him.

"Someone untied him!" the executioner was snarling. "We should search the grounds, the forest -"

"Macnair, if Buckbeak has indeed been stolen, do you really think the thief will have led him away on foot?" said Dumbledore, still sounding amused. "Search the skies, if you will...Hagrid, I could do with a cup of tea. Or a large brandy."

"O' - o' course, Professor," said Hagrid, who sounded weak with happiness. "Come in, come in..."

Marcus watched as his father was intently looking around. For one scary second, his father looked in their direction. But, it was glimpse and, without even a word, he ran straight for the castle.

"Now what?" whispered Harry, looking around.

"We'll have to hide in here," said Hermione, who looked very shaken. "We need to wait until they've gone back to the castle. Then we wait until it's safe to fly Buckbeak up to Sirius's window. He won't be there for another couple of hours...Oh, this is going to be difficult..."

She looked nervously over her shoulder into the depths of the forest. The sun was setting now.

"We've got to move," Marcus told them. "We need to be able to see the Whomping Willow, or we won't know what's going on."

"Okay," said Hermione, getting a firmer grip on Buckbeak's rope. "But we've got to keep out of sight, boys, remember..."

They moved around the edge of the forest, darkness falling thickly around them, until they were hidden behind a clump of trees through which they could make out the Willow.

"There's Ron!" said Harry suddenly.

A dark figure was sprinting across the lawn and its shout echoed through the still night air.

"Get away from him - get away - Scabbers, come _here_ -"

And then they saw two more figures materialize out of nowhere. Marcus watched Harry and Hermione chasing after Ron. Then he saw Ron dive.

" _Gotcha!_ Get off, you stinking cat -"

"There's Sirius and I!" Marcus said. The giant shape of Leo and and the slightly smaller shape of Padfoot had bounded at Harry, Ron, and Hermione from the base of the Willow. They saw them bowl Harry and Ron over, then seize Ron...

"Looks even worse from here, doesn't it?" said Harry, watching the dog pulling Ron into the roots.

"Yeah, I'd say so," said Marcus. "Oh, that must've hurt - you got walloped by the tree - and so did Hermione -" he looked at the two of them, "-wow, this is _weird_ -"

The Whomping Willow was creaking and lashing out with its lower branches; Marcus could see past Harry and past Hermione darting here and there, trying to reach the trunk.. And then the tree froze.

"That was Crookshanks pressing the knot," said Hermione.

"And there we go...," Harry muttered. "We're in."

The moment they disappeared, the tree began to move again. Seconds later they heard footsteps quite close by. Dumbledore, Macnair, and the old Committee member were making their way up to the castle.

"Right after you guys had gone down the passage!" said Marcus. "Wow, talk about good timing."

"If _only_ Dumbledore had come with us..." said Hermione.

"Macnair would've come too," said Harry bitterly. "I bet you anything Macnair would've wasted no time in trying to kill Sirius..."

They watched the three men climb the castle steps and disappear from view. For a few minutes the scene was deserted. Then -

"Here comes Lupin!" said Harry as they saw another figure sprinting down the stone steps and haring toward the Willow.

"And my dad!" Marcus said after seeing his dad following very close behind Uncle Remus.

They watched Uncle Remus seize a broken branch from the ground and prod the knot on the trunk. The tree stopped fighting, and Uncle Remus and Michael disappeared into the gap in its roots.

"If only they'd grabbed the Cloak," said Harry. "It's just lying there..."

He turned to Hermione.

"If I just dashed out now and grabbed it, Snape'd never be able to get it and -"

"Harry, _we musn't be seen_!"

"How can you stand this?" he asked Hermione fiercely. "Just standing here and watching it happen?" He stopped for a couple of seconds before saying, "I'm going to grab the Cloak!"

Marcus only noticed in time and said, "Harry, _no_!"

Marcus seized the back of Harry's robes not a moment too soon. Just then, they heard a burst of song. It was Hagrid, making his way up to the castle, singing at the top of his voice, and weaving slightly as he walked. A large bottle was swinging from his hands.

" _See?_ " Hermione whispered. " _See what would have happened?_ We've got to keep out of sight! _No, Buckbeak!_ "

The hippogriff was making frantic attempts to get to Hagrid again; The three of them seized his rope, straining to hold Buckbeak back. They watched Hagrid meander tipsily up to the castle. He was gone. Buckbeak stopped fighting to get away. His head dropped sadly.

Barely two minutes later, the castle doors flew open yet again, and Snape came charging out of them, running toward the Willow.

Marcus watched as they watched Snape skid to a halt next to the tree, looking around. He grabbed the Cloak and held it up.

"Get your filthy hands off it," Harry snarled under his breath.

"Shh!"

Snape seized the branch Uncle Remus had used to freeze the tree, prodded the knot, and vanished from view as he put on the Cloak.

"So, that's it," said Hermione quietly. "We're all down there...and now we've just got to wait until we come back up again..."

She took the end of Buckbeak's rope and tied it securly around the nearest tree, then sat down on the dry ground, arms around her knees.

"So, Marcus, what was it like helping Sirius?" asked Hermione.

"Like trying to maintain a time-jumping class schedule," said Marcus, slightly smirking at Hermione. "It was stressful, but I got to really connect with Sirius."

"And why didn't you have him meet me?" asked Harry.

"Actually, Harry, I was planning on taking you to him soon after Christmas. But, then came the whole Three Broomsticks fiasco. So, I couldn't."

"Oh, right," said Harry. "And how did you becoming an Animagus exactly happen?"

"That was the most grueling project I've ever took on, Harry. All that animal research, mimicking movements, and trying to figure out who you are as a person. But, it was very rewarding when we took on the Basilisk last year."

"Wait, what?!"

"Oh, right, I meant to do this in the Shrieking Shack," said Marcus, who summoned his wand. He tapped Harry's head and said, _"Finite Incantatum!"_

It took a few seconds, then Harry said, "Oh, now I remember! Wait, why did you put a Memory Charm on me?!"

"I wanted you, Ron, and Hermione to know at the same time. Back then, I didn't want to burden you with knowledge of me being an Animagus. I'm really sorry."

"It's okay," said Harry, smiling. "What matters is that everything worked out in the end."

Marcus took another look at the Whomping Willow and said, "Let's wait until this is all over to say that."

He then looked at Hermione, who had a troubled look on her face, and said, "Something bothering you, Hermione?"

"Well, it's just -" she sighed, "- there's something I don't understand...Why didn't the dementors get Sirius? I remember them coming, and then I think I passed out...there were so many of them..."

"Yeah, now that you mention, just how did Sirius escape the dementors?" Marcus asked out loud.

Harry sat down. He explained what he'd seen; how, as the nearest dementor had lowered its mouth to Harry's, a large silver something had come galloping across the lake and forced the dementors to retreat.

Hermione's mouth was slightly open by the time Harry had finished.

"But what was it?"

"Well, there's only one thing I can think of to make the dementors go," said Marcus. "An actual Patronus. A powerful one."

"But who conjured it?"

"Maybe it was my dad," Marcus stated. "He has to check up on the prisoners at Azkaban occasionally. He'd have to know the Patronus Charm to keep the dementors away."

"Wasn't your dad getting reinforcements in the castle at that time?" Hermione asked.

"Oh, yeah, he was..."

"Didn't you see what they looked like, Harry?" asked Hermione eagerly. "Was it one of the teachers?"

"No," said Harry. "He wasn't a teacher."

"But it must have taken a really powerful wizard, Harry," said Marcus. "All least powerful enough to make the dementors go away...If the Patronus was shining that brightly, didn't it light the caster up? Did you -?"

"Yeah, I saw him," said Harry slowly. "But...maybe I imagined it...I wasn't thinking straight...I passed out right afterward..."

 _"Who do you think it was?"_ Hermione asked.

"I think -" Harry swallowed before saying, "I think it was my dad."

Marcus felt confused at this statement. Why would Harry have thought it was his dad that conjured the Patronus?

"Harry, your dad's - well - _dead_ ," she said quietly.

"I know that," said Harry quickly.

"You think you saw his ghost?"

"I don't know...no...he looked solid..."

"But then -"

"Maybe I was seeing things," said Harry. "But...from what I could see...it looked like him...I've got photos of him..."

Hermione was still looking at Harry as though worried about his sanity.

"I know it sounds crazy," said Harry flatly.

Marcus, however, thought of another plausible theory, one that, if correct, he didn't dare voice. Instead, he focused on the fact that he had another shot at Pettigrew. He knew that, with his Negative Vision he had in his Animagus form would be able to spot him, even if the little traitor was moving about in the grass. He thought about this while feeling the faint breeze across his cheek, the moon drifting in and out of sight behind the shifting clouds.

Then, finally, after over an hour...

"Here we come!" Hermione whispered.

Marcus looked at the Whomping Willow and saw Uncle Remus, Ron, and Pettigrew clambering awkwardly out of the hole in the roots, followed by the unconscious Snape drifting weirdly upward. Next came Marcus, Harry, Hermione, and Sirius. They all began to walk toward the castle.

Marcus's heart was starting to beat irregularly, his breathing quickened. He looked up at the sky knowing that, at any moment, that cloud was going to move aside and show the moon...

"Harry, Marcus," Hermione muttered as though she knew exactly what they were thinking, "we've got to stay put. We musn't be seen. There's nothing we can do..."

"So, we're just going to let Pettigrew escape all over again..." said Harry quietly.

"How do you expect to find a rat in the dark?" snapped Hermione. "There's nothing we can do! We came back to help Sirius. We're not supposed to be doing anything else!"

" _All right!"_

The moon slid out from behind its cloud. They saw the tiny figures across the grounds stop. Then they saw movement -

"There goes Lupin," Hermione whispered. "He's transforming -"

"Hermione!" said Marcus suddenly. "We've got to move!"

"We musn't, I keep telling you guys -"

"Not to interfere, Hermione!" exclaimed Marcus. "Uncle Remus's going to run into the forest, right at us!"

Hermione gasped.

"Quick!" she moaned, dashing to untie Buckbeak. "Quick! Where are going to go? Where are we going to hide? The dementors will be coming any moment -"

"Back to Hagrid's!" Harry said. "It's empty now - come on!"

Marcus ran two steps, but stopped and looked at the small figures. He could recognize his Uncle, cantering towards him, Harry, and Hermione and realized that, in that moment, the beast that attacked his uncle and saving their hides was... _himself_.

Marcus then took a few steps towards the group, all the while getting on all fours.

"Marcus, what are you doing?!" Hermione yelped.

"Saving our asses!" Marcus told her. "Go to Hagrid's! I'll join you shortly!"

He then leaped forward, shifting into Leo as he was bounding forward, and took off as fast as he could toward his Uncle Remus. He didn't want to. Every part of him wished he didn't have to. But -

He gave off a loud roar, which caused Uncle Remus to look in his direction. He noticed Leo a little too late as Leo bowled right into him, knocking him off his feet.

Knowing that he would be shown no mercy, Leo attacked mercilessly, clawing at his limbs and his torso before biting deeply into the right side of the torso, tossing him away from past Marcus, past Harry, and past Hermione.

The werewolf took one look at Leo before retreating into the woods. Knowing that he had to get to Hagrid's as soon as possible, Leo bounded towards the hut.

It took a while, but as soon as he got close, he shifted back to his human self and, right as he was around five feet from the door, he saw Harry stepping outside.

Just then, the two of them heard yelping in the distance. That meant the dementors were closing in on Sirius... Marcus, Harry, and Hermione would be running to him any moment.

Marcus looked out toward the lake, his heart rapidly pounding in his chest...Whoever had sent that Patronus would be appearing at any moment...

For a fraction of a second, neither of them moved. Then, they looked at each other and silently nodded to each other.

The two of them began to run. Marcus was interested in seeing who had casted the Patronus, who was responsible for saving their lives.

The lake was getting nearer and nearer, but Marcus couldn't see anyone. On the opposite bank, Marcus could see tiny glimmers of silver - their own attempts at a Patronus -

There was a bush at the very edge of the water. Marcus and Harry threw themselves behind it, peering desperately through the leaves. On the opposite bank, the glimmers of silver were suddenly extinguished. Marcus felt a rush of adrenaline at the prospect of seeing this powerful wizard.

"Come on!" Marcus heard Harry muttering, staring about. "Where are you? Dad, come on -"

A thought suddenly hit Marcus. If Harry's accounts of the Patronus were true, and Marcus were willing to bet that most of it was, Harry only saw one Patronus, and it was nowhere near Marcus. But, then if it wasn't near him, then what was that bright silvery light that went past his eyes and blinded him?

Marcus looked once more at the opposite bank and saw their respective dementors getting ready to Kiss their past selves. It was time for the rescuer to appear - but no one was coming to help this time -

Marcus then realized it: That bright silvery light that blinded him was another Patronus, and that meant -

Marcus and Harry flung themselves out from behind the bush, Marcus summoning his wand, Harry pulling his out.

" _EXPECTO PATRONUM!"_ they yelled.

And from Marcus's wand end burst forth, not a shapeless cloud of mist, but a blinding, dazzling, silver animal. Marcus squinted his eyes to try and make out what it looked like, but it started streaking down the lake with Harry's Patronus, first attacking past Marcus's dementor. Then, with Harry's Patronus, attacked the rest, causing the dementors to fall back, scatter, retreat into the darkness. Just like that, they were gone.

The Patronuses turned. They were cantering back to their casters along the still surface of the water. Marcus finally saw the shape his Patronus was and gave an ear to ear smile: It was a lion. And not just any lion, but a Barbary Lion. It was shining brightly as the moon above...it was coming back to him...

It stopped just short of Marcus. Its paws made no mark on the soft ground as it started at Marcus with its silvery eyes surrounded by a wild mane. It gave its head a slight bow. And Marcus found himself in awe...

 _"Leo,"_ Marcus whispered.

But as his hand was about to pet its head, it vanished.

Marcus and Harry stood there for a second before looking at each other and giving great big smiles. Then, startling him, Marcus heard hooves behind them - Marcus whirled around and saw Hermione dashing toward them, dragging Buckbeak behind her.

" _What did you two do?"_ she said fiercly. "Harry, you said you were only going to keep a lookout! And you, Marcus! How come you're out here with him?!"

"Hey, we just save all our lives, okay?" said Marcus.

"Get behind here - behind this bush - We'll explain...," Harry said.

Hermione listened to what had just happened with her mouth open yet again.

"Did anyone see you?"

"Yes, haven't you been listening? _I_ saw me but I thought I was my dad!"

"And my Patronus blinded past me, so I didn't see anything!"

"So, it's all good!" Marcus and Harry said simultaneously.

"Harry, Marcus, I can't believe it... You two conjured up Patronuses that drove away all those dementors! That's very, _very_ advanced magic..."

"I knew I could do it this time," said Harry, "because I'd already done it...Does that make sense?"

"I wouldn't say that -" Marcus glanced across the lake and finished, "Guys, look at Snape!"

Together they peered around the bush at the other bank. Snape had regained consciousness. He was conjuring stretchers and lifting the limp forms of Marcus, Harry, Hermione, and Sirius onto them. A fifth stretcher, no doubt bearing Ron, was already floating at his side. Then, wand held out in front of him, he moved them away toward the castle.

"Right, it's nearly time, "said Hermione tensely, looking at her watch. "We've got about forty-five minutes until Dumbledore locks the door to the hospital wing. We've got to rescue Sirius and get back into the ward before anybody realizes we're missing..."

"Wow, we're really cutting it close, aren't we?" said Marcus.

And so they waited, watching the moving clouds reflected in the lake, while the bush next to them whispered in the breeze. Buckbeak, bored, was ferreting for worms again.

"D'you reckon he's up there yet?" said Harry, checking his watch.

"Look!" Hermione whispered. "Who's that? Someone's coming back out of the castle!"

Marcus started into the darkness. He enhanced his vision and saw Macnair, running madly out of the castle.

"It's Macnair!" said Marcus.

"The executioner!" said Harry.

"He has to be going to get the dementors!" Marcus exclaimed.

"Wait, I thought your dad did that," said Harry.

"He's getting Fudge from Dumbledore's fireplace," said Marcus. "I happen to overhear Snape and Fudge talking shortly before you came to.

"Anyway, it's time to go! Everyone on Buckbeak!"

Hermione put her hands on Buckbeak's back and Harry gave her a leg up. Then Harry placed his foot on one of the lower branches of the bush and climbed up in front of her. As Harry pulled Buckbeak's rope back over his neck and tied it to the other side of his collar like reins, Marcus took Hermione's left hand and pulled himself on Buckbeak, sitting behind Hermione.

"Ready?" Harry whispered. "Hermione, you'd better hang on to me -"

Marcus could feel Harry nudging Buckbeak's sides with his heels.

As Marcus grabbed onto Hermione's shoulders and tightened his leg grip, Buckbeak soared straight into the dark air. Marcus could feel the great wings rising powerfully in front of him. He could also hear Hermione muttering, "Oh, no - I don't like this - oh, I _really_ don't like this -"

Buckbeak started going towards the castle, gliding quietly toward the upper floors of the castle. As Buckbeak took a hard left, Marcus was counting the windows flashing past them.

Catching it in time, Marcus said, "Stop Buckbeak, Harry!"

Harry pulled backward as hard as they could, making Buckbeak come to a complete stop, unless you counted the fact that they kept rising up and down several feet as the hippogriff beat his wings to remain airborne.

"He's there!" Harry said. Marcus spotted Sirius as they rose up beside the window. Harry reached out, and as Buckbeak's wings fell, was able to tap sharply on the glass.

Sirius looked up. Marcus saw his jaw drop before he leapt from his chair, hurried to the window, and tried to open it, but it was locked.

"Stand back!" Hermione called to him, and she took out her wand, still gripping the back of Harry's robes with her left hand.

However, the movement needed to take her wand out resulted in accidently elbowing Marcus in his right temple. He then fell off Buckbeak, falling to the ground.

"Marcus!" Harry yelled after him.

Marcus didn't know what to do. He wasn't close enough to grab the side of the wall, nor did he know any spells to slow down his freefall. As he looked at the ever closer ground, he closed his eyes, hoping that it would be over.

Suddenly, he felt something around his wrists, followed by a sharp rise back into the air. Bamboozled, he opened his eyes, looked up, and his jaw dropped.

It was a phoenix. However, this didn't look like Fawkes. The plummage was much too dark.

Regardless, he was entirely grateful as the phoenix soared back up to where Buckbeak was, where he saw that Sirius was now sitting where he was previously sitting on Buckbeak.

"Marcus!" said Hermione, jaw dropped. "How -"

"Don't know," said Marcus, holding onto the phoenix's claws for dear life. "But let's get moving! We don't have much time left!"

"Okay, Buckbeak, up!" said Harry, shaking the rope. "Up to the tower - come on!"

The hippogriff and phoenix streaked toward the top of the West Tower. Marcus let go as soon as he was close enough to land while Buckbeak landed with a clatter on the battlements, and Harry and Hermione slid off him at once.

"Thank you so much for saving my life, phoenix!" said Marcus, who hugged the phoenix.

The phoenix cooed, nuzzled his right cheek and, upon being released from Marcus's hug, streaked off into the night.

Marcus joined Harry and Hermione as Harry panted, "Sirius, you'd better go, quick. They'll reach Flitwick's office any moment, they'll find out you're gone."

Buckbeak pawed the ground, tossing his sharp head.

"What happened to the other boy? Ron?" croaked Sirius.

"He's going to be okay," Marcus told him. "He's still out of it, but Madam Pomfrey says she'll be able to make him better. Quick - go -"

But Sirius was still staring down at Marcus and Harry.

"How can I ever thank -"

"GO!" Marcus, Harry, and Hermione shouted together.

Sirius wheeled Buckbeak around, facing the open sky.

"We'll see each other again," he said. "You are - truly your fathers' sons, Harry, Marcus..."

He squeezed Buckbeak's sides with his heels. Marcus, Harry, and Hermione jumped back as the enormous wings rose once more... The hippogriff took off into the air... He and his rider became smaller and smaller as Marcus gazed after them...then a cloud drifted across the moon... They were gone.

 **And this concludes this chapter of HP: Freedom's Path! Please feel free to leave a review, as I'm always looking to improve my skills as a writer. Or, if you want to ask me any questions, feel free to leave me a PM and I promise I will answer them to the best of my abilities. Until then, ladies and gentleman, keep your eyes open for the FINAL chapter of HP: Freedom's Path!**


	22. (22) A Nightmare's Beginning

**Welcome, one and all, to the FINAL chapter of HP: Freedom's Path! This is absolutely amazing! Thank you, everyone, who has taken the time to read this series up to this point, you have made me so happy beyond belief! This is not the end of the series, not by a long shot, so look forward to more in the future!**

 **Disclaimer: No ownership of HP, save for OC's.**

 **Now, here is...**

Chapter 22: A Nightmare's Beginning...

 **Enjoy, everyone!**

"Harry! Marcus!"

Hermione was tugging at their sleeves, staring at her watch. "We've got exactly ten minutes to get back down to the hospital wing without anybody seeing us - before Dumbledore locks the door -"

"All right," said Marcus, looking away from the sky. "Let's go..."

The slipped through the doorway behind them and down a tightly spiraling stone staircase. As they reached the bottom of it, they heard voices. They flattened themselves against the wall and listened. It sounded like Fudge and Snape. They were walking quickly along the corridor at the at the foot of the staircase.

"...only hope Dumbledore's not going to make difficulties," Snape was saying. "The Kiss will be performed immediately?"

"As soon as Macnair returns with the dementors and Michael returns with Brynn. This whole Black affair has been highly embarrassing. I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to informing the _Daily Prophet_ that we've got him at last... I daresay, they'll want to interview you, Snape... and once young Harry and Marcus are back in their right minds, I expect they'll want to tell the _Prophet_ exactly how you saved them..."

Marcus balled his fists in anger as he caught a glimpse of Snape's smirk as he and Fudge passed their hiding place. Their footsteps died away. Marcus, Harry, and Hermione waited a few moments to make sure they'd really gone, then started to run in the opposite direction. Down one staircase, then another, along a new corridor - then they heard a cackling ahead.

 _"Peeves!"_ Harry muttered, grabbing Hermione's wrist. "In here!"

They tore into a deserted classroom to their left just in time. Peeves seemed to be bouncing along the corridor in boisterous good spirits, laughing his head off.

"Oh, he's horrible," whispered Hermione, her ear to the door. "I bet he's all excited because the dementors are going to finish off Sirius..." She checked her watch. "Three minutes, guys!"

Marcus wanted to curse Peeves into oblivion, but knew they had no time for as, when Peeves' voice finally faded, they were forced to break out into a run from the classroom.

"Hermione - what'll happen - if we don't get back inside - before Dumbledore locks the door?" Harry panted.

"I don't want to think about it!" Hermione moaned, checking her watch again. "One minute!"

They had reached the end of the corridor with the hospital wing entrance. "Okay - I can hear Dumbledore," said Marcus. "Let's hurry it up!"

They crept along the corridor. The door opened. Dumbledore's back appeared.

"I am going to lock you in," they heard him saying. "It is five minutes to midnight. Miss Granger, three turns should do it. Good luck."

Dumbledore backed out of the room, closed the door, and took out his wand to magically lock it. Panicking, Marcus, Harry, and Hermione ran forward. Dumbledore looked up, and a wide smile appeared under the long silver mustache. "Well?" he said quietly.

"We did it!" said Harry breathlessly.

"Sirius is gone, Professor," stated Marcus with a smirk. "On Buckbeak..."

Dumbledore beamed at them.

"Well done. I think -" He listened intently for any sound within the hospital wing. "Yes, I think you've gone too - get inside - I'll lock you in -"

Marcus, Harry, and Hermione slipped back inside the dormitory. It was empty except for Ron, who was still lying motionless in the end bed. As the lock clicked behind them, Marcus, Harry, and Hermione crept back to their own bed, Hermione tucking the Time-Turner back under her robes. A moment later, Madam Pomfrey came striding back out of her office.

"Did I hear the headmaster leaving? Am I allowed to look after my patients now?"

She was in a very bad mood. Marcus thought that it was best to accept his chocolate quietly. Madam Pomfrey stood over the three of them, making sure they ate it. Marcus couldn't help but crack a smirk on his face. He was very much looking forward to what he knew was going to happen next. And, sure enough, when he was taking a fourth piece of chocolate from Madam Pomfrey, he heard a distant roar of fury echoing from somewhere above them...

"What was that?" said Madam Pomfrey in alarm.

Now they could hear angry voices, growing louder and louder. Madam Pomfrey was staring at the door.

"Really - they'll wake everybody up! What do they think they're doing?"

Marcus was trying to hear what the voices were saying. They were drawing nearer -

"He must have Disapparated, Severus. We should have left somebody in the room with him. When this gets out -"

"HE DIDN'T DISAPPARATE!" Snape roared, now very close at hand. "YOU CAN'T APPARATE _OR_ DISAPPARATE INSIDE THIS CASTLE! THIS - HAS - SOMETHING - TO - DO - WITH - POTTER - AND - WILLIAMS!"

"Severus - be reasonable - Harry and Marcus have been locked up -"

BAM.

The door of the hospital wing burst open.

Fudge, Snape, Michael, Brynn, and Dumbledore came striding into the ward. Dumbledore alone looked calm. Indeed, he looked as though he was quite enjoying himself. Fudge appeared angry. Marcus's mom and dad looked troubled. But Snape was beside himself.

"OUT WITH IT, POTTER!" he bellowed. "WHAT DID YOU DO?!"

"Professor Snape!" shrieked Madam Pomfrey. "Control yourself!"

"See here, Snape, be reasonable," said Fudge. "This door's been locked, we just saw -"

"THEY HELPED HIM ESCAPE, I KNOW IT!" Snape howled, pointing at Marcus, Harry, and Hermione. His face was twisted; spit was flying from his mouth.

"Severus, enough!" Fudge barked. "You're not making any sense at all!"

"YOU DON'T KNOW POTTER AND WILLIAMS!" shrieked Snape. "THEY DID IT, I KNOW THEY DID IT -"

"That will do, Severus," said Dumbledore quietly. "Think about what you are saying. This door has been locked since I left the ward ten minutes ago. Madam Pomfrey, have these students left their beds?"

"Of course not!' said Madam Pomfrey, bristling. "I would have heard them!"

"Well, there you have it, Severus," said Dumbledore calmly. "Unless you are suggesting that Marcus, Harry, and Hermione are able to be in two places at once, I'm afraid I don't see any point in troubling them further."

 _"Serves you right, you foul, greasy-haired tyrant!"_ Marcus thought.

"THEN IT WAS ALL WILLIAMS' IDEA!" roared Snape, making his way to Marcus's besides. Snape seized him by the robes, lifted him up and yelled, "HIM AND HIS PRECIOUS DUPLICATION SPELL!"

Marcus, not having any idea what he was talking about, knew regardless that he wasn't going to tolerate being treated like this by Snape. He cocked his left fist back -

Brynn came out of nowhere and seized Snape by the back of his robes, forcing Snape to let go of Marcus. One second, Snape was in the air and, in the next second, slammed to the hospital wing floor with such a force that Marcus found it a marvel that the floor didn't collapse.

Snape then found himself looking down Brynn's wand, pointing directly inbetween his eyes.

"Do that again, Severus," said Brynn in such a dark and angry tone that Marcus felt absolute terror. "Do that again to my son, and I don't care who sees me do it. I'll beat you until there's nothing left."

Brynn put her wand away and Snape stood up, still seething, staring from Fudge, who looked thouroughly shocked at his behavior; to Dumbledore, whose eyes were twinkling behind his glasses. Snape whirled about, robes swishing behind him, and stormed out of the ward.

"Fellow seems quite unbalanced," Fudge said to Dumbledore.

"Oh, he's not unbalanced," said Dumbledore quietly. "He's just suffered a severe disappointment."

"He's not the only one!" puffed Fudge. "The _Daily Prophet_ 's going to have a field day! We had Black cornered and he slipped through our fingers yet again! All it needs now is for the story of that hippogriff's escape to get out, and I'll be a laughingstock! Well...I'd better go and notify the Ministry..."

"And the dementors?" said Michael. "They'll be removed from the school as soon as possible?"

"Oh yes, they'll have to go," said Fudge, running his fingers distractedly through his hair. "Never dreamed they'd attempt to administer the Kiss on innocent boys...Completely out of control...no, I'll have them packed off back to Azkaban tonight...Perhaps we should think about dragons at the school entrance..."

"Hagrid would like that," said Dumbledore with a swift smile at Marcus, Harry, and Hermione. As he and Fudge left the dormitory, Michael looked at Marcus and said, "Marcus, get some rest. We'll see you at King's Cross."

As Michael and Brynn left, Madam Pomfrey hurried to the door and locked it again. Muttering angrily to herself, she headed back to her office.

There was a low moan from the other end of the ward. Ron had woken up. They could see him sitting up, rubbing his head, looking around.

"What - what happened?" he groaned. "Harry? Marcus? Why are we in here? Where's Sirius? Where's Lupin? What's going on?"

"You explain, Marcus," he heard Harry say with a smile.

Marcus smirked before saying, "Well, Ron, it goes like this..."

* * *

When Marcus, Harry, Ron, and Hermione left the hospital wing at noon the next day, it was to find an almost deserted castle. The sweltering heat and the end of the exams meant that everyone was taking full advantage of another Hogsmeade visit. Neither Ron nor Hermione felt like going, however, so they, Marcus, and Harry wandered onto the grounds, still talking about the extraordinary events of the previous night and wondering where Sirius and Buckbeak were now. As they were sitting near the lake, watching the giant squid waving its tentacles lazily above the water, Marcus's mind kept wandering back to the one unexplainable event: Him getting caught by that phoenix during his freefall.

That mysterious thought was interrupted when a shadow fell across them and they looked up to see a very bleary-eyed Hagrid, mopping his sweaty face with on of his table-clothed sized handkerchiefs and beaming down at them.

"Know I shouldn' feel happy, after wha' happened las' night," he said. "I mean, Black escapin' again, an' everythin' - but guess what?"

"What?" they said, pretending to be curious.

"Beaky! He escaped! He's free! Bin celebratin' all night!"

"That's wonderful!" said Hermione, giving Ron a reproving look because he looked as though he was close to laughing.

"Yeah...can't've tied him up properly," said Hagrid, gazing happily out over the grounds. "I was worried this mornin', mind...thought he mighta met Professor Lupin on the grounds, but Lupin says he never ate anythin' las' night..."

"What?" said Marcus and Harry quickly.

"Blimey, haven' yeh heard?" said Hagrid, his smile fading a little. He lowered his voice, even though there was nobody in sight. "Er - Snape told all the Slytherins this mornin'...Thought everyone'd know by now...Professor Lupin's a werewolf, see. An' he was loose on the grounds las' night...He's packin' now, o' course."

"He's _packing_?!" Marcus said, quite alarmed. "Why?!"

"Leavin', isn' he?" said Hagrid, looking surprised that Marcus had to ask. "Resigned firs' thing this mornin'. Says he can't risk it happenin' again."

Marcus scrambled to his feet.

"I'm going to see Uncle Remus."

Harry scrambled to his feet and said, "And I am too."

"But if he's resigned -"

"- doesn't sound like there's anything we can do -"

"I don't care!" said Marcus. "Harry and I still want to see him. I'll see you two later..."

* * *

Uncle Remus's office door was open. He had already packed most of his things. The grindylow's empty tank stood next to his battered old suitcase, which was open and nearly full. Uncle Remus was bending over something on his desk and looked up only when Marcus and Harry knocked on the door.

"I saw you coming," said Uncle Remus, smiling. He pointed to the parchment he had been poring over. It was the Marauder's Map.

"We just saw Hagrid," said Marcus. "And he said you'd resigned. It's not true, is it?"

"I'm afraid it is, Marcus," said Uncle Remus. He started opening his desk drawer and taking out the contents.

" _Why_?" said Harry. "The Ministry of Magic doesn't think you were helping Sirius, do they?"

Uncle Remus crossed to the door and closed it behind Marcus and Harry.

"No. Professor Dumbledore managed to convince Fudge that I was trying to save your lives." He sighed. "That was the final straw for Severus. I think the loss of the Order of Merlin hit him hard. So he - er - _accidentally_ let slip that I am a werewolf this morning at breakfast.

"You're not leaving just because of that!" said Harry.

Uncle Remus smiled wryly.

"This time tomorrow, the owls will start arriving from parents... They will not want a werewolf teaching their children, boys. And after last night, I see their point. I could have bitten any of you... That must never happen again."

"You're the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher we've ever had!" said Harry. "Don't go!"

"Yes, please don't, Uncle Remus!" Marcus said. "There's precautions we can take! This can still work!"

Uncle Remus shook his head and didn't speak. He carried on emptying his drawers. Suddenly, Uncle Remus said, "From what the headmaster told me this morning, you two saved a lot of lives last night, boys. If I'm proud of anything, it's how much the two of you have learned...Tell me about your Patronuses."

"How d'you know about that?" said Harry, distracted.

"What else could have driven the dementors back?"

Marcus and Harry told Lupin what had happened. When he'd finished, Uncle Remus was smiling again.

"Yes, your father was always a stag when he transformed," he said to Harry. "You guessed right...that's why we called him Prongs."

He then turned to Marcus and said, "And your father always transformed into an African Lion. That's why we called him Maney. Although I don't think he's transformed in a long time..."

Uncle Remus then threw his last few books into his case, closed the desk drawers, and turned to look at Harry.

"Here - I brought this from the Shrieking Shack last night," he said, handing Harry back the Invisibility Cloak. "And..." He hesitated, then held out the Marauder's Map too. "I am no longer your teacher, so I don't feel guilty about giving you this back as well. It's no use to me, and I daresay you, Marcus, Ron and Hermione will find uses for it."

Harry took the map and grinned.

"You told me Moony, Maney, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs would've wanted to lure me out of school... you said they'd have thought it was funny."

"And so we would have," said Uncle Remus, now reaching down to close his case. "I have no hesitation in saying that James would have been highly disappointed if his son had never found any of the secret passages out of the castle."

There was a knock on the door. Harry hastily stuffed the Marauder's Map and the Invisibility Cloak into his pocket.

It was Professor Dumbledore. He didn't look surprised to see Marcus or Harry there.

"Your carriage is at the gates, Remus," he said.

"Thank you, Headmaster."

Uncle Remus picked up his old suitcase and the empty grindylow tank.

"Well - good-bye, Harry," he said, smiling. "It has been a real pleasure teaching you. I feel sure we'll meet again sometime. Headmaster, there is no need to see me to the gates."

"That's right, because I am," said Marcus.

"Now, Marcus -" Uncle Remus began to say.

However, the glare he received from Marcus was so deadly that Uncle Remus sweatdropped and said, "Yes, Headmaster, Marcus will be seeing me to the gates."

"Good-bye, then, Remus," said Dumbledore soberly.

As Uncle Remus and Marcus made their way down the castle, Marcus said, "I still can't believe Snape did what he did. That was uncalled for!"

" _Professor_ Snape, Marcus," Uncle Remus said. "And perhaps it was. Like I told you and Harry before, I can see the dangers of having a werewolf surrounded by students, a danger in which I don't to put anyone in, including you."

Marcus sighed. "And I still can't believe my dad's a Marauder! He's the most serious person I know!"

"Actually, Marcus, out of all of us Marauders, your father was, perhaps, the most mischevious prankster."

"No way!"

"Oh yes," said Uncle Remus, smiling. "He had ideas and pranks that, sometimes, not even the rest of the Marauders attempted to do. He was full of laughs and smiles, really bringing us closer together, even when times were hard."

"Now, that, I could see my mother doing," said Marcus. "She's the most carefree person I know."

"Would it surprise you if I told you she was considered the most serious and terrifying person when your father and I went to Hogwarts?"

"NO WAY!"

"She was." Uncle Remus's face contorted to one that looked troubled. "Now, all the boys at Hogwarts knew that she was one of the prettiest girls in the school, but she was almost always the most angry and stubborn. No one could get within five feet of her. Even in classes, students would shift their desks so that they could give her space. And all of your father's jokes and pranks involved trying to make her laugh, smile, or both."

At this point, they crossed the entrance doors and started walking toward the gates. Marcus then asked, "Wait, if my mom was such a nightmare to be around, how did my dad get her to date and marry him?"

"That will be something for your parents to tell you," said Uncle Remus, smiling.

"Then can you tell me why their personalites did a one-eighty?"

Uncle Remus took a minute to think about it before saying, "I think that's all right for me to say. They changed because they had you, Marcus."

Marcus gave him a confused look, to which Uncle Remus continued, "People are never the same once they become parents, Marcus. Caring for a new life, one created from themselves, it leaves a profound effect on their entire being."

Marcus, satisfied with that answer, looked around at the nice weather conditions. The sun was shining, there was fluffy, harmless clouds here and there, the surface of the lake was sparkling. Yet, despite all this, Marcus couldn't help but frown.

"What's the matter, Marcus?"

"I'm really sorry, Uncle," said Marcus. "I hurt you really bad last night, and -"

"Don't even think about apologizing," Uncle Remus told him crossly. "You did what you could to protect your friends. Besides, I've had worse, believe me."

"But -"

Marcus looked up to see a serious look on his Uncle's face and he repeated, "Don't, Marcus."

"Okay," he said, sounding a bit crestfallen.

He then saw the gates, and said, "Well, I guess this is it, huh?"

"That it is, Marcus," said Uncle Remus.

Marcus then hugged him and said, "I'll miss you, Uncle."

"Don't worry, Marcus. I'll come and visit again, I promise."

"When?"

"That I don't know. But, this won't be the last you see of me, either. Trust me."

Marcus looked up to see him, holding back the tears, and said, "Good-bye, Uncle Remus. See you later!"

With a smile and a wave, Uncle Remus crossed the gates. Just like that, he was gone.

* * *

During the evening workout, Lorelei looked at Marcus and said, "Are you all right, Marcus? I thought for sure you'd be happy after helping Sirius escape."

"Don't get me wrong, Lorelei, I am," said Marcus. "It's just -"

"Just what?"

"Well, I really did some physical damage to Uncle Remus when he was a werewolf, and I didn't really want to, but I had no choice, and so -"

"Did Professor Lupin want an apology?"

Marcus looked at her with surprise and said, "No."

"Then there's nothing to worry about," she said with a smile. "I'm positive that he more than understands."

"Well, there's another thing that bothers me."

"Oh? What is it?"

"During Sirius's rescue, I fell off of Buckbeak and, during the freefall, I was rescued by a phoenix. It's like the bird just came out of nowhere. Regardless, I'm glad I had the chance to thank that phoenix."

"You're welcome."

"Wait, what?"

Marcus, once again, looked to Lorelei, who had a smile on her face. It wasn't a normal smile. No, this smile was mischevious, like she knew something he didn't.

"Wait, wait, wait - darker plummage, it wasn't Fawkes, so that would mean -" Marcus, eyes wide, gasped, "-NO WAY!"

Before Marcus's eyes, Lorelei transformed until, standing before him, was a phoenix.

She flew around the Room of Requirement once before landing in front of Marcus, who just couldn't believe it.

She was just breathtaking as a phoenix. Her feathers, red as blood, gave off a short of shine that almost seem to radiate around her. Her eyes were a dazzling emerald green, and her silver, medium-sized beak seemed to have a shine all of it's own.

"Lorelei!" Marcus said in awe. "This is amazing! When did it happen?!"

Lorelei shifted back to normal and said, "It's hard to explain, really. I was down at the lake with my classmates and, suddenly, there was a bad shiver up my spine. Unnerved by this, I had to check it out. Eventually, I came close to the West Tower when I saw Buckbeak fly above, with you, Harry, and Hermione on its back. I had a bad feeling that something bad was going to happen, and that's when the image of the phoenix came to me. I focused with my entire being and, the next thing I knew, I was the phoenix! I flew up to you and - well - the rest is history."

"Lorelei, I'm just so happy for you and proud of you! We're now both Animagi! Wait - did you come up with a name for your Animagus form?"

"Actually, I have. My Animagus name is Solaris."

"Solaris? That's a pretty cool and interesting choice. How did you come up with the name?"

Lorelei gave a minute to think before replying, "It just came to me, and it sounded pretty good."

"Speaking of pretty good, we don't we finish up our workouts?"

"Sounds good to me!"

As the two of them finished their workout, Marcus felt pretty good about his future. Sure, Pettigrew got away in the end, and he didn't like that one bit. But, his godfather was no longer in prison, he got to enjoy having his Uncle Remus as a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, and Lorelei finally acheived her Animagus form. And, as he went to sleep that night, he felt that nothing could go wrong...

* * *

The cell room was quiet...eerily quiet...he was deep in concentration...it wasn't an easy task to track someone so small, after all.

Suddenly, his red eyes opened wide, his prompt grin grown quite sinister.

"Ah, so the rat is finally going to the pied piper," said the Dark Prince.

He stood up, shook off some dust on his shoulders, and said, "I believe my time rotting in this prison is finally up. Time for me to get back out there."

He held his left hand up, palm facing the opposite wall, and a dark sphere formed an inch away from the skin of his palm.

The dark sphere kept getting bigger and bigger until the sphere was two feet away from touching every aspect of his cell.

"Wizarding World, my foe, stand by for war!"

He then released it, which made it's way towards the opposite wall...

* * *

Michael didn't exactly know why he came to his Azkaban vantage point. True, he needed to get away from the office, but he could've gone anywhere. Even Brynn was confused as to why he went to it. If he had to really think about it, it may have been a bad feeling.

Suddenly, the loudest explosion he heard in a long time rocked the earth he stood on as he saw the top of Azkaban get obliterated. The rubble was falling everywhere and, amongst that rubble, Michael saw a figure flying away from it, faster than anything he'd seen.

"The Dark Prince!" said Michael out loud. "Shit!"

He then Disapparated, knowing that his workload was just beginning...

* * *

Marcus awoke the next morning, feeling pretty good about himself.

However, when he made his way down to breakfast, he kept getting a lot of worried looks from the people around him, which utterly confused him.

Fervent whispers could also be heard all around him, but the moment he was nearby, the students would lower their voices so that Marcus couldn't hear them.

Finally, he sat down at the House table next to Lorelei and said, "Geez, everybody's acting really weird about Black's escape, huh?"

"Oh, yes, aren't they?" she said in a nervous voice. "It's really quite annoying."

He then shot a glance at the Slytherin House table, where he saw many of the Slytherins grinning from ear to ear.

"Wait a minute," said Marcus. "Sirius's escape didn't get that kind of reaction from the Slytherins. Lorelei, what's going on?"

"Perhaps they had a successful bully en masse session we don't know about," replied Lorelei in that same nervous tone. "Hard to say with them."

He also saw what he recognized to be today's _Daily Prophet_ hidden behind her back.

"It has something to do with the _Daily Prophet_ , hasn't it?"

"What?"

"Don't play stupid with me, Lorelei. Let me see the paper!"

Immediately, Lorelei put it out of reach and said, "Really, Marcus, the _Daily Prophet_ was just as boring as it was yesterday. There's nothing of interest here!"

Suddenly, Ron came out of nowhere, snatched the paper from Lorelei's hand, and handed it to Marcus, saying with a grim, yet determined look on his face, "Here you go, Marcus."

Marcus took the newspaper and said, "Finally! Thank you, Ron! Honestly, I don't see what the big deal -"

He looked at the front page, which silenced him at once.

 **DARK PRINCE ESCAPES AZKABAN!**

He saw the picture of Azkaban, the top of which was completely blown apart. The dementors were circling about it, looking for something Marcus knew they'd never find. His attention then went below the picture.

 _Great Britain's Ministry of Magic reports that, at the early hours of today, The Dark Prince, known widely as You-Know-Who's Invincible Warrior, used Dark Magic to make his escape from the Wizarding Prison known to many as Azkaban._

 _"Naturally, the dangers of The Dark Prince being free and about in the Wizarding World is catastrophic," said Cornelius Fudge, Great Britain Minister of Magic told reporters. "We're establishing an emergency meeting with our sister nations to develop a means to stop and defeat The Dark Prince, which will take place later this week."_

 _Many people believe that Michael and Brynn Williams, famed Aurors indirectly responsible for his last downfall, are spearheading the project._

 _"Michael and Brynn Williams are unavailable for questions and comments at this time," said Kingsley Shackelbolt, one of Michael Williams' most trusted Aurors._

 _It is unclear what effects will take place, now that the Dark Prince is once again free, but many question just how long peace will last..._

Marcus set down the _Daily Prophet_ in a dangerously slow manner. Lorelei tried to look at him, saying, "Marcus?"

When Lorelei saw his face, she felt terrified.

Complete and utter anger covered his entire face. His irises and pupils were the color of pure gold, his teeth were grinding, his breathing was erratic, hardly under control.

Suddenly, Marcus jumped out of his seat and started sprinting towards the doors of the Great Hall.

"MARCUS!" Lorelei yelled after him.

He wouldn't stop, he couldn't afford to stop. He had to get out of Hogwarts as soon as he could, then find his way to the Dark Prince.

He made it out of the entrance hall in no time, not even bothering to look at the students seeing him run by. His focus, his entire mission was to get to the gates leading out of Hogwarts. Nothing else mattered.

He made it out onto the grounds and was making his way towards the gates. Every day training his body, his mind, was for this moment. For when the Dark Prince was free once again.

It took a little bit, but he could eventually see the gates. All he had to do was bust them down, or perhaps get over them, and he could start his search for the Dark Prince...to destroy him.

It seemed like the gate was finally within his reach, He reached a hand towards them -

WHAM!

Marcus felt himself getting tackled from behind, getting himself restrained.

"NO!" roared Marcus. "LET ME GO! I WON'T BE STOPPED! I NEED TO DO THIS!"

"Stop this, son!" yelled who recognized to be his father, Michael Williams. "You need to calm down!"

"I WON'T! HE'S FREE AGAIN! NOW'S MY CHANCE TO GET HIM, TO GIVE HIM WHAT HE DESERVES! _HE'LL PAY FOR WHAT HE'S DONE TO ME!"_

"AND HOW DO YOU PLAN TO ACCOMPLISH THAT, ACTING LIKE A MADMAN?!" roared his father.

Marcus stopped at once, albeit still very much angry. "This is what I've trained every day for. Since the age of five, I've prepared for the day he would be free once again! I refuse to sit back and do nothing!"

"Marcus, look at me!"

Marcus indeed looked at him, who looked deadly serious.

"Marcus, you need to understand that, even with all of your training and learning, you're still not ready to take him on. If you were to go up against him now, you would most certainly lose. And the last thing I want to see happen to you is how you foolishly got yourself killed."

Marcus fought back the tears as he said, "I just don't - don't want to go through something like that again!"

"And you won't, son, I promise," Michael said as he hugged his son. "You leave him to me for now, son. Keep doing your training and learning and, when you're ready, you'll get to face him, all right?"

"Sounds - sounds fair."

"Good," said Michael. "Let's back up to the castle now. I'm sure your friends are worried about you..."

* * *

Nobody at Hogwarts knew the truth of what had happened the night that Sirius, Buckbeak, and Pettigrew had vanished except Marcus, Lorelei, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Dumbleore. As the end of term approached, Marcus had heard a lot of theories about what really happened, but none of them came close to the truth.

Malfoy was furious about Buckbeak. He was convinced that Hagrid had found a way of smuggling the hippogriff to safety, and seemed outraged that he and his father had been outwitted by a gamekeeper. Percy Weasley, meanwhile, had much to say on the subject of Sirius's escape.

"If I manage to get into the Ministry, I'll have a lot of proposals to make about Magical Law Enforcement!" he told the only person who would listen - his girlfriend, Penelope.

Though the weather was perfect, though the atmosphere was so cheerful, though he knew they had achieved the near impossible in helping Sirius to freedom, Marcus had never approached the end of a school year in worse spirits.

He wasn't the only one to have been sorry to see his Uncle Remus go. The whole of Marcus's Defense Against the Dark Arts class was miserable about his resignation.

"Wonder what they'll give us next year?" said Seamus Finnigan gloomily.

"Maybe a vampire," suggested Dean Thomas hopefully.

It wasn't only his Uncle Remus's departure that was weighing heavily on Marcus's mind. He couldn't help but think a lot about the fact that the Dark Prince was, once again, free. He wondered just how long it would be until the man that terrorized him would come back to face him, to finish what he started. He still wanted nothing more than to go out and spend the rest of his life finding him and end him, but what his father told him made a lot of sense. All he could hope to do is that the Dark Prince wouldn't be interested in facing him until he was older, when his body would be fully developed and that he learned all that he could. And perhaps, just maybe, he might not be doing it alone...

* * *

The exam results came out on the last day of term. Marcus, Harry, Ron, and Hermione had passed every subject, Marcus (once again) coming closely behind Hermione. Before, he would've been satisfied with his scores, but he knew now that it wasn't good enough. If he was going to take on the Dark Prince, he had to be sure that he was the best.

Snape's behavior towards Marcus and Harry had taken a turn for the alarming. With Harry, it wasn't really a surprise, but now Marcus had a feeling that Snape despised and abhored his existence, like nothing would please him more than to wrap his constantly flexing fingers around his throat.

Percy had got his top-grade N.E.W.T.s' while Fred and George had scraped a handful of O.W.L.s each. Gryffindor House, meanwhile, largely thanks to their spectacular performance in the Quidditch Cup, had won the House Championship for the third year running. This meant that the end of term feast took place amid decorations of scarlet and gold, and that the Gryffindor table was the noisiest of the lot, as everybody celebrated. Even Marcus managed to mostly forget about the Dark Prince as he ate, talked, and enjoyed his time with his classmates.

As the Hogwarts Express pulled out of the station the next morning, Hermione gave Marcus, Harry, and Ron some surprising news.

"I went to see Professor McGonagall this morning, just before breakfast. I've decided to drop Muggle Studies."

"But you passed your exam with three hundred and twenty percent!" said Ron.

"I know," sighed Hermione, "but I can't stand another year like this one. That Time-Turner, it was driving me mad. I've handed it in. Without Muggle Studies and Divination, I'll be able to have a normal schedule again."

"I still can't _believe_ you didn't tell us about it," said Ron grumpily. "We're supposed to be your _friends_."

"I promised I wouldn't tell _anyone_ ," Hermione said severely. "Though I still don't know how Marcus came to find out."

Marcus saw the look Hermione gave him and stated, "Sirius pretty much told me back around Christmas time. Not that you specifically were using one, but how a witch or wizard would accomplish going to multiple places in a set period of time without using the Duplication Spell."

Hermione didn't say anything, but she wasn't giving him a stern look, either.

She then saw the sad look on Harry's face and said sadly, "Oh, cheer up, Harry!"

"I'm okay," said Harry quickly. "Just thinking about the holidays."

"Yeah, I've been thinking about them too," said Ron. "Harry, Marcus, you've got to come and stay with us. I'll fix it up with Mum and Dad, then I'll call you. I know how to use a fellytone now -"

"A _telephone_ , Ron," said Hermione. "Honestly, _you_ should take Muggle Studies next year..."

Ron ignored her.

"It's the Quidditch World Cup this summer! How about it, Harry, Marcus? Come and stay, and we'll go and see it! Dad can usually get tickets from work."

"Yeah...I bet the Dursleys'd be pleased to let me come...especially after what I did to Aunt Marge..."

"I still say she got what was coming to her," said Marcus. "And besides, at least I won't have to worry about getting tickets for the World Cup, as I already have mine."

Feeling more cheerful than he had in days, Marcus joined Harry, Ron, and Hermione in several games of Exploding Snaps, and when the witch with the tea cart arrived, he bought himself a small lunch, though nothing with chocolate in it.

But it was late in the afternoon before the thing that made him truly happy showed up...

"Harry," said Hermione suddenly, peering over Harry's shoulder. "What's that thing outside your window?"

Marcus turned to look outside and see what she was talking about. Something very small and gray was bobbing in and out of sight beyond the glass. He stood up for a better look and saw that it was a tiny owl, carrying two letters that were much too big for it. The owl was so small, in fact, that it kept tumbling over in the air, buffeted this way and that in the train's slipstream. Harry quickly pulled down the window, stretched out his arm, and caught it, brining it carefully inside. The owl dropped one letter on Harry's seat, the other on Marcus's, and began zooming around their compartment, apparently very pleased with itself for accomplishing its task. Archie clicked his beak with a sort of displeased rudeness. Crookshanks sat up in his seat, following the owl with his great yellow eyes. Ron, noticing this, snatched the owl safely out of harm's way.

Marcus was about to open the letter addressed to him when he heard Harry suddenly shout, "It's from Sirius!"

"What?" said Ron and Hermione excitedly. "Read it aloud!"

So Harry cleared his throat and read aloud:

 _Dear Harry,_

 _I hope this finds you before you reach your aunt and uncle. I don't know whether they're used to owl post._

 _Buckbeak and I are in hiding. I won't tell you where, in case this falls into the wrong hands. I have some doubt about the owl's reliability, but he is the best I could find, and he did seem eager for the job._

 _I believe the dementors are still searching for me, but they haven't a hope of finding me here. I am planning to allow some Muggles to glimpse me soon, a long way from Hogwarts, so that the security on the castle will be lifted._

 _There is something I never got around to telling you during our brief meeting. It was I who sent you the Firebolt -_

"Ha!" said Hermione triumphantly. "See! I _told_ you it was from him!"

"Yes, but he hadn't jinxed it, had he?" said Ron. "Ouch!"

The tiny owl, now hooting happily in his hand, had nibbled one of his fingers in what it seemed to think was an affectionate way.

Marcus rolled his eyes as Harry continued to read aloud:

 _Crookshanks took the order to the Owl Office for me. I used your name but told them to take the gold from Gringotts vault number seven hundred and eleven - my own. Please consider it as thirteen birthdays' worth of presents from your godfather._

 _I would also like to apologize for the fright I think I gave you that night last year when you left your uncle's house. I had only hoped to get a glimpse of you before starting my journey north, but I think the sight of me alarmed you._

 _I am enclosing something else for you, which I think will make your next year at Hogwarts more enjoyable._

 _If ever you need me, send word. Your owl will find me._

 _I'll write again soon._

 _Sirius_

Harry looked eagerly inside the envelope. Marcus saw another piece of parchment in there. He read it through and felt throughouly happy for Harry:

 _I, Sirius Black, Harry Potter's godfather, hereby give him permission to visit Hogsmeade on weekends._

"That'll be good enough for Dumbledore!" said Harry happily. He looked back at Sirius's letter.

"Hang on, there's a P.S..."

 _I thought your friend Ron might like to keep this owl, as it's my fault he no longer has a rat._

Marcus saw Ron's eyes widened. The minute owl was still hooting excitedly.

"Keep him?" he said uncertainly. He looked closely at the owl for a moment; then, to Marcus's, Harry's, and Hermione's great surprise, he held him out for Crookshanks to sniff.

"What d'you reckon?" Ron asked the cat. "Definitely an owl?"

Crookshanks purred.

"That's good enough for me," said Ron happily. "He's mine."

"Say, Marcus, why don't you read yours?" asked Hermione.

Marcus took one look at the envelope, smirked, and pocketed it before saying, "I think I'll read it later."

As he made his way into King's Cross station, Marcus happened to see Lorelei out of his peripheral vision and smiled. He knew she was going to do fantastic on her summer training. After all, she drafted up her own diet and exercise plan for what she wanted to build her body up to. As for him...

"I'll call about the World Cup!" Ron yelled after Harry and Marcus as Marcus bid Harry, Ron, and Hermione good-bye and met up with his Mom and Dad.

"So, Marcus, are you ready for this summer?" asked his father.

"I'm ready to do more training than ever before," said Marcus, a face full of determination. "I may not be ready to face the Dark Prince just yet, but I'll be ready for him when the day does come."

"That's right, Marcus," said Brynn, who was smiling. "Never lose sight of that goal."

"I won't, Mom," said Marcus.

"Well, let's not dally," said Michael. "Our work is cut out for all of us, after all."

Ensuring that they were in a safe place to do so, Marcus grabbed his parent's hands and the Williams family Disapparated, to get started on the tasks at hand...

 **And this concludes the story of HP: Freedom's Path! What a journey! It utterly amazes me that this series has come so far already and it makes me happy that all of you have taken the time to read this series. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you. Now, I do plan on posting the next book, but I'm not sure when, as I'm still working on it. But, when it does get completed and when I've started working on Book Five will be when I start posting book four on the site. It may be a while, so don't think I'll forget to do so! In the meantime, please feel free to leave a review on the story as it will help me become a better writer. Or, if you want to ask me any questions, please feel free to leave me a PM and I promise that I'll answer them to the best of my ability. Until then, keep an open lookout for the next step in the journey, HP: Path of Trials!**


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